A Mother's Touch
by Smitty91
Summary: Spike has been having a lot of weird dreams and feelings lately that are leaving him confused about how he feels about living with Twilight. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle struggles to get closer to her sister while Rarity is struggling to make a better life for her and her sister after a family crisis. WARNING: This story contains diapers, diaper usage, ageplay, and more.
1. Chapter 1

A Mother's Touch

Chapter 1

Spike let out a contented sigh and looked over his shoulder at the room that he had just gotten done sweeping. Well, it had taken all day, but the place was finally clean. Sighing, he set the broom against the wall and observed8 his handiwork. While Twilight had gone out, he had busied himself with cleaning the library from top to bottom, every nook and cranny. He was actually proud of himself for having cleaned the library without having to be asked to by Twilight. Wouldn't she be surprised when she came home to find the library so clean? He hugged himself and squirmed, feeling giddy as he pictured the scene in his head.

_Twilight grabbed Spike and gave him the biggest hug that she'd ever given him. "Oh, Spike! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm so proud of you!" She kissed his nose. "You cleaned the whole library without me having to tell you to! You're the best little assitant a pony could ever ask for! What would you like for dinner tonight? My treat." _

Yeah, that would be nice.

He walked over to the fireplace. After lighting a fire, selecting a book, and making himself a glass of sweet tea, he took a seat on the rocking chair. It was his own personal seat that Twilight had given him as a birthday present one year. Of course, Twilight was far too big of a pony to sit in it without her weight breaking it.

With a warm fire, a good book in his claws, and a glass of ice-cold sweet tea to accompany him, Spike didn't know how life could get any better. Sure, he didn't mind helping Twilight out around the library, but his happy place was by the fire reading a good book. Not surprisingly, he wasn't as avid a reader as Twilight, but he didn't deny the effect that a good book could have on a pony.

He turned back to his book, silently reading while he occasionally took sips of his tea. Mmm! Nothing beat a nice, cold glass of sweet tea! By his nature, he had a sweet tooth that could rival even Pinkie Pie's. He always added a couple teaspoons of honey to his tea to give it a little more flavor.

He jumped and his heart stopped when he heard am extremely loud thud. He looked up to see that Twilight had arrived home. He hopped up from his chair and jogged over to her. "Twilight, I–"

"Not now, Spike," Twilight grumbled, walking past him without even so much as giving him the kind gesture of a glance. She slammed the door, hard, with her magic. "Don't talk to me!"

Spike watched her ascend the stairs. The sound of bed springs creaking told him that she had laid down for a nap. He tapped his chin with a claw and his face brightened. He went up the stairs to her bedroom. Hopping on the bed, he tapped her on the hoof. "Something wrong, Twilight?"

She bolted up in bed and glared at him. "Could you just leave me alone for five minutes, please, and let me get some rest?!"

He took a few cautionary steps away from her, his claws folded at his chest. He looked down at his feet before, tentatively, glancing back up at her. "Right. I'll, uh," he pointed over his shoulder, "I'll just go get dinner started, okay?"

"Ugh! No, thanks. I'm not hungry." And with that, she flopped back down on the bed, covering up with the bed sheets and comforter.

He swallowed hard, his heart pounding in his chest while he made his way back downstairs. He climbed back into his chair and resumed reading his book. He figured that she was right. It would be best to leave her alone for a few minutes. Maybe she just needed a little rest, and then maybe she'd be in a better mood. He was still curious as to what had made her so upset to begin with, but he wasn't about to go back upstairs to find out. It could wait. Besides, he had just started reading the book a couple of days ago, so it would give him plenty of time to let her rest.

A couple of hours later, he caught himself feeling pretty hungry. Marking his place in his book, he hopped out of his seat and walked towards the kitchen. Even if Twilight wasn't hungry, he still was. However, he didn't feel like messing up any dishes, afraid that it would only give Twilight an excuse to lash out at him. There were still plenty of eateries open around Ponyville. He was sure that Twilight wouldn't mind him stepping out for a couple of hours to get something to eat. He would just go get something to eat and be right back.

He scribbled a note for her and left it on her nightstand before stepping out of the library. He looked to his left, then to his right, wondering where to go. He figured it didn't particularly matter. Anywhere in Ponyville had good, if not then at least decent, food to eat. He supposed that where he went really depended on what he was in the mood for. The only problem was that he wasn't sure what he was in the mood for. He supposed that it would eventually come to him.

He ventured off, though he wasn't really paying attention to where he was going. He was too lost in his thoughts. Every now and then, he would look up to glance around at the various restaurants around him, but otherwise he kept his head down, watching his feet while he walked. He was so bothered by his thoughts that it took a familiar voice calling his name to get him to snap out of it. Before he had a chance to look up, however, he bumped into something orange.

"Ouch!" Rubbing his now sore nose, he took a step back and looked up at who he had bumped into. He frowned when he discovered that it was Applejack. "Oh, sorry about that, Applejack."

"Spike, honey, what are ya doing all the way out here in Sweet Apple Acres?" Applejack asked, giving him a concerned look.

"Is that where I am?" He took a moment to take a good look around him. Sure enough, Sweet Apple Acres was exactly where he was. He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Heh heh. Sorry. I guess I got a little sidetracked."

"What are ya doin' out and about in Ponyville at this time of night?"

"Oh. I was hoping to get something to eat. I didn't feel like cooking."

"What didn't ya just say so, sugarcube? Come on inside, I'll fix you something to eat."

"Oh, no, no, no. I couldn't ask you to do that, Applejack. I don't want to impose."

"Shoot!" She put a hoof around him and smiled. "Y'all wouldn't be imposin'. I insist. That's what good friends are for, right?"

"I . . . I guess," he muttered as they began walking towards Applejack's home.

"'Sides, Ah was just about ta fix Apple Bloom some soup."

He glanced up at her, confused. "Soup?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Poor darlin's been feelin' a bit under the weather lately. Would ya care for some?"

His stomach growled. At this point, he didn't care what he ate as long as it was food. He nodded. She gave him the honor of entering before her. The door closed as she walked in behind him. He took a moment to look around. "So where is she?" He looked behind his shoulder to look at her.

"She's upstairs sleepin'," Applejack stated, walking past him towards the kitchen. "Ya go ahead and make yourself at home, Spike. Ah'll get ta work on fixin' yer dinner and whatnot."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Course. Go on, now."

"Well, okay." He observed the couch before him and climbed on it. He quickly became bored waiting for his food, not sure what to do with himself. He was so used to being up and about cleaning or doing something else that simply sitting doing nothing was foreign to him. Even when he was relaxing after a hard day cleaning, he was busy reading a book or enjoying a glass of sweet tea. He was so bored that he could feel himself getting drowsy. He struggled to keep his eyes open, but he eventually lost the battle and toppled to the side, allowing sleep to overtake him.

He was jolted awake by Applejack shaking him.

"Dinner's ready," she announced. "Ya go ahead and start eatin' while I go take Apple Bloom her dinner." She started towards the stairs, the tray that contained Apple Bloom's meal and drink balanced on her back.

He raced after her. "Would you like some help?"

She turned back to him. "Thank you kindly, but I can handle it."

Regardless, he took the tray and started heading upstairs.

She frowned. "Spike, I told you I could handle it."

He nodded. "I know, but I don't want you getting hurt."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, deciding to follow him upstairs. She walked ahead of him to lead him to Apple Bloom's room. They stopped at the door and she gently opened it, giving him just enough room to squeeze through to enter. She followed him. Apple Bloom was resting in her bed, her back to them.

"Apple Bloom," Applejack said, "yer dinner's here."

The filly in the bed stirred, rolling over onto her other side. Her eyes fluttered open and she sat up, taken aback at seeing Spike resting the tray in her lap. She stretched and yawned before glancing down at what her meal was, then smiled at Spike. "Thanks." She leaned forward and pecked him on the head.

He blushed and giggle happily. "How are you?"

"I'm doin' okay, I guess." She ate a spoonful of soup, moaning as its warmth traveled down her throat, comforting her and making her feel better. "And you?"

He shrugged. "The same, I suppose."

Both Apples noticed the depressed tone in his voice.

"Ya sure about that, sugarcube?" Applejack asked, giving him a look of concern. "Things going okay with Twilight?"

He nodded. "Oh, yeah, she's fine. She was just a little . . . on-edge today. Granted, she was out of the house most of the day."

"Don't worry your spikey little head about it, Spike," Applejack said, patting his head. "Ah'm sure it'll pass over."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." He turned back to Apple Bloom. "Here's hoping you get to feeling better soon."

The yellow filly smiled at him. "Thanks again."

"Ya need anything else?" Applejack asked.

Apple Bloom shook her head. "Nah, I'm good, but thanks anyway, Applejack."

Spike smiled at the pair. _How nice it must be to be waited on instead of me waiting on somepony else,_ he thought. It would have been a nice change of pace.

"You probably shouldn't be around me," Apple Bloom said, looking at Spike. "You don't want to get sick, do you?"

Spike wasn't so sure about that, but nonetheless, he agreed to leave her alone. As he and Applejack were walking down the hallway, headed towards the stairs, Applejack said, "Hey, Spike, you know that if there's a problem you can't handle, you can always come talk to me or Apple Bloom or anypony else, right?"

He grinned at her. "Yeah, I know."

They reached the kitchen and he took his seat at the kitchen table while she went to the fridge.

"What would ya like to drink, sugarcube?" she asked. "We've got tea, milk, water, uh . . ."

"Do you have any sweet tea?" He looked over his shoulder at her.

She nodded. "Ah think so." She fixed him a glass and set it in front of him.

"Thanks." He took a sip, licking his lips at the sugary taste. He ate another spoonful of soup. "Mmm! This is good! What is it?"

"Chicken noddle soup. Always a surefire remedy to get over any cold or flu ya got, and a bit o' medicine never hurt either." She smiled at him. "Yer always welcome to come over for a meal, Spike. Ya know that, right?"

He beamed at her. "I do now."

For the longest time, silence fell over the room. She watched him eat, a hoof rested against her head. Meanwhile, he ate, taking sips of his drink every now and then.

"So, uh," she said, rotating her other hoof against the table, "things are okay with you and Twilight, right? I mean, y'all aren't fightin' or nothin', are ya?"

He shook his head. "No." He took another drink of tea.

She frowned. "Ah'm not botherin' ya, am I, sugarcube?"

He smiled at her. "No, it's okay."

"Ah don't mind to get all personal, Ah swear."

"I know. You're just concerned, that's all, as a good friend should be." He wiped his mouth on a napkin. "Well, I should get out of your mane." He hopped off the chair and started towards the door.

She beamed at him, watching him go. "See ya around, Spike."

It was rather late by the time Spike got back home. He wasn't surprised by the fact that Twilight was still sleeping. For a few minutes, he watched her sleep before he became tired himself. He yawned and stretched, trying to fight it. It was futile. He couldn't fight it. He leaned down and gently pecked Twilight on the nose. "I love you," he whispered in her ear, then he drew the covers up to her neck. He eyed his basket and blanket. He climbed inside, snuggling against his pillow, sighing in content as his blanket proivded him with warmth and comfort. Though he couldn't see it, Twilight allowed a smile to creep across her face.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sweetie Belle stopped in the middle of her drawing and strained her ear to listen. Yep. Those were certainly hoofbeats she heard against the floor. She looked back at her drawing. Rarity had told her to stay put in her room so that Rarity could concentrate on her work. Maybe she was leaving. If that was the case, then that meant that the two of them could spend some time together. Her face brightened at the opportunity and she dashed out of the room, catching Rarity as she was headed towards the front door. She ran up to her and asked, "Hey, Rarity, where are you going?"

"I'm going over to Fluttershy's for tea and, no, you can't come," Rarity said sternly, shooting her little sister a glare. She closed the door behind her.

Sweetie Belle sighed sadly and sat down on her haunches, looking down at the floor. Well, so much for that plan. She figured she might as well return to her drawing, seeing as how there was nothing else to do. If it weren't for Rarity's paranoia that her little sister would mess something up, she could have done something useful like clean the kitchen, take the trash out, or something similar. But, no. She was confined to what was pretty much her bedroom during her stays with Rarity while her parents were away.

As much as she loved and adored her older sister, Sweetie Belle oftentimes found herself wishing that her parents would hurry up and come pick her up to take her home. With how strained her relationship with Rarity was, she found herself becoming quite bored while staying with her. It was because of this that she was always going crusading with her friends. Rarity didn't want her around and it gave her something to do while in Ponyville. Well, that was just fine with her! If Rarity didn't want her around, then she didn't want to be around Rarity either!

She wished that her friends would stop by so that she could go out and do something, but she wasn't allowed to leave the house unless Rarity knew where she was. She supposed that this was a good rule. What if something happened to her while she was out and Rarity didn't know about it? It would be too late for Rarity to do anything, other than alert her parents.

She was just glad that she and her parents were going on vacation next week. That would help her get her mind off things. Her parents were coming to pick her up soon so that she could pack her things. After that, it was off for a week full of fun and relaxation. Honestly, she was a little sad that Rarity wouldn't be able to get to go, but with how busy her older sister was, she wasn't going to say that she couldn't see why Rarity wasn't going. Even if the two of them drove each other up the wall and had completely different views on things, deep down they truly did love and care for each other. This was in spite of the fact that they oftentimes didn't show it as often as they should have. What would she or Rarity do if something happened to one of them, especially if right after they'd had a big argument or soemthing? She'd feel terrible then.

Once she was done with her drawing, she started roaming around the Boutique in search of something else to do. She went in the room that Rarity used for relaxation. The room contained several bookcases that were crammed with books. These would surely give her hours of enjoyment. Besides, it wasn't as if there was anything else to do. She was able to reach the higher shelves using a small ladder. She had a tough time getting one of the books removed, though, so when she finally managed to get it tugged free, the ladder fell backward along with her. "Whoa!" She landed flat on her back on the floor, very hard. She had to inhale sharply due to the force of the blow having knocked the wind out of her, literally. She was at first afraid to move, fearful that she might have injured her spine or broken something else. She very slowly rolled over onto her stomach and got to her hooves. She moved her hooves slightly to see if she felt any pain in them. Everything seemed to be in proper order. She picked up her book from off the floor with her mouth and walked over to the nearby couch.

Sweetie Belle was still reading by the time Rarity got back from Fluttershy's. Wondering how much time had passed, she looked up to glance out the window. It was already nightfall. Had she been reading for that long? She looked down at the book she'd been reading and realized that she was on page three hundred twenty and she still had three hundred sixty pages to go.

'Sweetie Belle," Rarity called. "Where are you?!"

"In here," Sweetie Belle called back.

Rarity walked in the room and spotted Sweetie Belle sitting on the couch. "What are you doing in here? Didn't I tell you to stay in your room?"

"I got bored. I figured coming in here and reading wouldn't hurt."

A large gasp escaped Rarity's throat when she looked up and noticed the toppled over bookcase. She glared down at Sweetie Belle and pointed to the mess. "_This _is why I tell you to stay in your room and don't touch anything!"

Sweetie Belle looked at the mess that Rarity was pointing to and noticed an enormous pile of books spilled out around the floor. How in Equestira had she missed that? She tapped her chin with a hoof, trying to figure out the answer to this question while Rarity busied herself with cleaning up the mess. She hopped off the couch and approached her older sister. "Can I help?"

"No!" Rarity's head snapped back to glower at her little sister before turning back to her work.

"Are you sure? Maybe I could–"

"No! Just . . . go brush your teeth and go to bed. It's way past your bedtime anyway."

"I haven't had dinner yet."

"Oh, for the love of–" Her blood boiled. "Fine! There's some bread and peanut butter in the kitchen. Go make yourself a sandwich, brush your teeth, and go to bed. I'm supposed to be filling an order right now, but thanks to you, I'm going to be up all night cleaning up this mess." She sighed and shook her head. "I guess that will have to wait until tomorrow."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"Don't say another word! Just do as I tell you!"

Sweetie Belle nodded her head. "Yes, Rarity." Without saying another word, she turned and walked out of the room. While she was exiting, she heard Rarity mutter, "Stupid Sweetie Belle. What in Celestia's name was she thinking?" She glared at her older sister's backside. _Yeah, by the way, don't bother to make sure I'm not hurt or anything, _she thought bitterly before turning and stomping to the kitchen.

There wasn't much choice when it came to beverages. Mostly there was tea, coffee, and milk. That was fine with Sweetie Belle. She liked milk. And anyway, who didn't like milk to go along with their peanut butter sandwich? One thing that she found odd while eating was that her mood was allevated to where she wasn't as angry anymore and was actually feeling happy. She shrugged it off and quickly chugged her milk, wiping off the milk moustache above her upper lip, then trotted upstairs to the bathroom to brush her teeth. As she was passing the room that Rarity used for relaxation, she heard her older sister curse under her breath while she was still cleaning up the mess that she'd made.

While she was busy cleaning Sweetie Belle's mess, Rarity had time to think about some things. What was it about her little sister that brought out her worst characteristics? What was it about being around her little sister that brought out the worst in her? Was it really because Sweetie Belle was that annoying? Or, was it simply because Rarity let the small stuff get to her to a point where she was ranting and raving and saying things she didn't mean?

She hadn't even bothered to make sure that her little sister was all right. Ugh! What was wrong with her? That should have been her very first concern, not cleaning up the mess! It's no wonder Sweetie Belle never wanted to be around her. All she did was yell and chastise her little sister for petty reasons, like for making a mess or getting into her things. She bet Applejack didn't have these problems with _her _little sister. Then again, Applejack didn't have an annoying little bratty half-pint for a sister. _No, Rarity. Bad girl. Mustn't think like that. _

She knew that Sweetie Belle was going on vacation next week with her parents. Oh, how she wished she could join them. A week to just relax and not have to worry about filling any orders or paying bills or any of that hulla-baloo. Being a grown-up royally sucked! But alas, she had work to do. A pony's work was never done, as Applejack could easily attest. Perhaps she could do something nice for Sweetie Belle before she left, like get her a toy or something. Of course, a plastic toy that would easily break in less than fifteen minutes couldn't make up for her yelling at her little sister, but it would at least show Sweetie Belle that she was sorry. Yes, that was it! She could show Sweetie Belle that she was sorry by doing something nice for her, but she wouldn't have any bits unless she filled the orders that she'd agreed to, and who knew how long that would take, especially with how behind she was already?

She shook her head. It could wait until morning. All of this thinking was giving her a headache. Having cleaned up Sweetie Belle's mess, she shut off the light and went upstairs. She stopped by the spare bedroom that served as Sweetie Belle's bedroom. Cracking the door open, she poked her head in just to check in on Sweetie Belle, to make sure that she was all right. The little filly's body was heaving up and down, so she was safe and sound. Content that her little sister was all right, she walked down the rest of the hallway to her bedroom to turn in for the night.

Sweetie Belle sat up in bed and took another whiff of the air. Were those blackberry pancakes she smelled, with maple syrup, butter, and whipped cream? Just to be sure, she took another sniff, just to make sure that her nose was working properly and she wasn't smelling things. Nope. Pancakes was definitely what she smelled. The smell alone was enough to trigger her brain to send signals to her stomach, which growled, alerting her that she was hungry. She kicked off the bed sheets and ran to the bedroom door, stopping momentarily to look back at the mess she'd made. She didn't want to get yelled at again, so she quickly made her bed, then ran downstairs to the kitchen, only to stop when she walked in.

Wait. Was Rarity . . . cooking? Sweetie Belle blinked. It wasn't like her sister to actually get up and cook a meal. Usually, Rarity snacked throughout the day since she didn't really have time to cook a meal with how busy she was.

Rarity turned and smiled at Sweetie Belle. "Good morning, Sweetie Belle, Sleep well?"

Sweetie Belle blinked yet again. "Who are you and what have you done with Rarity?"

Rarity chuckled. "Nothing's happened, Sweetie Belle."

"But you're usually not this nice."

"Well," Rarity approached the table, silverware, plates, napkins, and stacks of pancakes following her, "I thought about it and I realized that getting onto you wasn't right of me. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that." She smiled. "I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted."

"Glad to hear it. Now, milk or orange juice?"

The two of them had a hearty breakfast after that, developing a pleasant conversation of their plans throughout the day. While Rarity was busy working on the order that she'd been delayed on, Sweetie Belle would be heading off to school, then go crusading with her cutie mark friends after school.

However, Rarity got the feeling that Sweetie's mind wasn't entirely focused on the conversation. She noticed that Sweetie Belle kept having flashes of sadness and worry appear on her face before disappearing, replaced by her usual happy expression. After the seventh time this happened, she finally repeated her question: "Sweetie Belle, did you sleep well last night?" She set her mug of coffee down on the table.

Sweetie Belle shook her head. "Not really. I had this weird dream."

Rarity rested a hoof on her head, suddenly intrigued by what Sweetie Belle had to say. "Oh? What about?"

Sweetie Belle thought hard, but was having trouble remembering all of it. "I don't remember. I know it involved me, Mom, and Dad, but other than that, nothing."

Rarity shook her head. "Well, don't worry about it, Sweetie. I'm sure it's nothing."

"I don't know, Rarity. I think it might have been a warning from Princess Luna."

Rarity snickered at that. "Really, Sweetie Belle? You know Luna doesn't send ponies dreams. She just visits them."

"Still, I'm really worried. Maybe it was a vision or something." Her eyes widened. "What if something bad happens to them while on vacation? What if something happens to _me_?"

"Darling, you're getting much too worked up over this one simple dream. It was just a dream, that's all. Nothing to worry about."

"But–"

"Now gather your things and head off to school or you'll be late."

"But . . ." She sighed. "All right." She grabbed her saddlebag and put it on. "You're picking me up from school, right?"

"If I'm not able to, I'll send somepony to do it."

"Okay. Well, I guess I'll see you when I get out of school, then."

"Okay. Be safe."

She nodded. "Always."

"Sweetie Belle? Sweetie Belle!"

The unicorn filly jumped and blinked. She came out of her trance and glanced up at Cheerilee. "Yes, Miss Cheerilee?"

"Can you tell me who invented over two hundred spells?" Cheerilee asked.

Sweetie Belle thought for a moment. "Um . . . Charlie the Magic Unicorn?"

The rest of the class, particularly Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, snickered.

"No," Cheerilee corrected sternly. "Starswirl the Bearded. Would you please pay attention?"

Sweetie Belle blushed. "Sorry." She turned to look to her right when she felt somepony nudging her.

"You okay?" Apple Bloom asked, giving her a concerned look. 'You've been actin' strange all mornin'."

"I'll tell you after school," Sweetie Belle whispered. She figured that, to avoid getting in trouble, it would be better to pay attention to her teacher instead of talking with her friend.

Cheerilee wiped off the chalkboard at the end of the schoolday. Hearing her students gathering their things and heading to the door, she barked, "Everypony, back to your seats." Not surprisingly, the students groaned, but nonetheless returned to their seats. "Now, I know you're all anxious about spring break next week, but over the week, I would like you to write an essay." The class groaned in unison again. "Now, come on, my little ponies. Just write me a one thousand-word essay about what you did over spring break. That shouldn't be so hard, should it? I'm expecting you to turn them in on my desk at the beginning of class Monday morning the following week after spring break. Understood?"

"Yes, Miss Cheerilee," the class grumbled.

Cheerilee beamed. "Wonderful! I look forward to reading them. You may go now."

Along with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle exited the schoolhouse.

"So, what's–" Apple Bloom started. The yellow filly was cut off in mid-question by a familiar voice.

"Sweetie Belle! Hey, Sweetie Belle!"

The three fillies looked ahead to see Spike jogging towards them. He took a moment to catch his breath, hunched over and gripping his knees.

"Spike?" Sweetie Belle asked, confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, since Rarity's busy, I figured I'd walk you home," Spike said once he'd caught his breath.

"Awww . . ." Apple Bloom gushed.

Scootaloo grimaced, sticking her tongue out and pretending like she was going to puke.

"You wouldn't mind walking me home too, would you, Spike?" Apple Bloom asked.

Spike shook his head. "Might as well." He looked around. "Rarity must have told Applejack that I was walking Sweetie Belle home." He didn't see the orange farm pony anywhere. "Come on."

"So," Apple Bloom resumed, "what's been goin' on with you today, Sweetie Belle?"

"I had this really bizarre dream last night," Sweetie Belle declared. "Rarity thinks it's nothing and that I'm just overreacting." She rolled her eyes. "Still, I can't help but feel a little odd about the whole thing."

Even though he knew it was none of his business, Spike couldn't help but ask, "Well, what was the dream about?"

Sweetie Belle thought for a moment. "It's all a little fuzzy to me now, but I think it involved me and my parents."

"Where was Rarity?" Spike asked.

"I don't know," Sweetie Belle admitted. "Anyway, I guess Mom or Dad, one, must have lost control of the wagon 'cause the next thing I knew, we were heading over a cliff."

"Hmm," Spike thought aloud. "That's strange. Anything else?"

There was a brief silence as Sweetie Belle thought some more, trying her darndest to recall more of her dream. "It was dark, rainy, and the ground was really wet and muddy."

This caught Spike's attention. "What in Equestira would your parents and you be doing traveling in the middle of a thunderstorm?"

"I don't know. I told Rarity about it, but she thinks I'm making a big deal over nothing."

"Doesn't sound that way to me," Spike replied.

"Yeah," Apple Bloom agreed. "Sounds ta me like you had a vision of the future or somethin'."

Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement. "That's what I'm afraid of."

"This has really piqued my interest," Spike noted, "so I'll tell you what we're gonna do. After we drop Apple Bloom and Scootaloo off, we'll head over to my place and ask Twilight about it. I'll be sure to let Rarity know where you are."

"Hey!" Apple Bloom sounded as if she was offended. "I'm interested in this, too!"

"I'll let you know if we find anything," Spike told her.

'What do you think, Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom asked. She looked over at the orange pegasus. "Scootaloo?"

"Huh?" Scootaloo looked over at Apple Bloom, confused.

"Scootaloo, haven't you been listening to a word I've said?" Sweetie Belle asked, annoyed.

Scootaloo shook her head. "Not really. I've had an ice cream cone on my mind for the past few minutes. Spike, could you do me a favor and let my folks know that I'll be over at Sugarcube Corner? I can have Pinkie Pie walk me home."

The little dragon nodded. "Of course, Scootaloo. We're near Sugarcube Corner, Why don't you go ahead and get that ice cream cone you were talking about? I'll let your folks know where you are."

"Thanks, Spike." An orange blur zoomed towards Sugarcube Corner.

Spike sighed and carried on walking with the two young fillies.

The rest of the walk to the Golden Oak Library resumed. Twilight was taken aback when Spike walked in with both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. "Spike, what are Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle doing here?" she asked.

"Well, Sweetie Belle needs to ask you about something," Spike said.

Twilight turned her attention to the unicorn filly. "Sweetie Belle?"

Said filly sighed in annoyance and rolled her eyes. "All right, but listen good, 'cause I'm getting tired of telling this story." Taking a deep breath, she once again told Twilight about the dream she'd dreamt the night before. Once she was done, she asked, "So what do you think? Is it a vision or should I just shake it off like it's nothing?"

"Hmm," Twilight pondered, tapping her chin with her hoof. "That is interesting . . ." She walked across the room and began pulling various books off the shelves with her magic.

"What are you looking for, Twilight?" Spike asked.

She didn't answer him. She glanced from one book cover to the next, her head constantly turning left and right. She groaned in frustration and the books plummeted to the floor. She jerked her head around to look at Spike. "Do you know where _Interpretation of Dreams and Visions _is?"

Spike shook his head. "No. Sorry."

Twilight stomped the floor with a hoof. "Great. Maybe there's some books in Canterlot or Celestia's old castle that can help us."

"And if not?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Well, there's at least one princess who can help us," Twilight stated.

Sweetie Belle gasped as her face lit up. "Princess Luna!"

Twilight grinned. "Exactly! You guys go ahead and go home."

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom both groaned in disappointment while they headed to the door.

"Don't worry, Sweetie Belle," Twilight reassured the unicorn. "I'll let you know about anything that I find out."

Sweetie Belle sighed, but managed a smile. "All right. I'll see you around, Twilight."

"Spike," Twilight added, "why don't you go with them to make sure they get home safely?"

Spike nodded. "Can do!" Without argument, he ran after the two fillies.

"Thank you for making sure that she got home safely, Spike," Rarity said, nuzzling Sweetie Belle.

"No problem," Spike replied. "Think nothing of it."

"And thank you for letting me know where she was so I wouldn't worry."

"Don't mention it. I should get Apple Bloom home." With that, he turned and walked over to the filly waiitng outside the Boutique.

Rarity shut the door and led Sweetie Belle to the kitchen. "Are you hungry?"

"Not really," Sweetie Belle admitted.

Rarity sputtered her lips while she put a pot of water on the stove. "Don't tell you're still worrying about that silly dream of yours."

"Rarity, it's not–" She stopped and eyed the pot resting on the stove. "What are you making?"

"Noodles. You want any?"

Sweetie Belle shook her head and continued her train of thought. "Rarity's it's not silly. I really think this dream is trying to tell me something. I even have Twilight–"

"Oh, Sweetie Belle, please don't tell me you've gotten Twilight roped in on this whole fiasco too."

"Yeah. I thought she might be able to help. She's going to do some research in Canterlot tomorrow and if she can't find anything, she'll ask Princess Luna about it."

Rarity rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Sweetie Belle, I think Princess Luna has far more important things to worry about than some little filly's silly dream."

Sweetie Belle looked down at the floor, feeling dejected.

"Anyway," Rarity continued, "if you're not hungry, why don't you go brush your teeth and go to bed? You've got school tomorrow."

"Okay. If it's okay with you, I'll probably be over at Twilight's tomorrow."

"Fine, just stay out of trouble."

"I will."

After brushing her teeth, Sweetie Belle slipped into bed. Mentally speaking, though, she wasn't tired, but her body certainly was. Regardless, she knew that it was going to be a restless night, what, with the meaning behind her dream plaguing her mind all night long.

**A/N: Special thanks to all of you who have favorited and followed this story so far. I honestly wasn't expecting this story to get that much attention, especially given the subject matter. Thank you all for your support. :) **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Once she'd completed the dishes, Rarity brushed her teeth and went on off to bed. She stopped to make sure that Sweetie Belle was all right. Even if she thought that her little sister was overreacting to her dream, she couldn't help but note that Sweetie Belle appeared to be really upset and worried about the dream. Maybe there really was something to the dream than she realized. Sweetie's worry over the dream was starting to spark her interest.

No, it was just a bad dream, that was all. All ponies had a bad dream every now and then, and Sweetie Belle was no exception. There was nothing to worry about, no need to get so worked up over one little nightmare. Still, she had acted just like Sweetie Belle when she'd been her age. . . .

_Little filly Rarity looked to the left and right upon walking out of her bedroom, stuffed teddy bear held close to her chest. "Mother? Father? Are you there?" When she heard no response, she began to breathe heavily, her fear about her parents being gone getting the better of her. She had to find them, now, even if it was just to make sure that they were all right. _

_She knew where their bedroom was. It was just down the hall. When she'd been a foal, her nursery had been right beside their bedroom. When she'd gotten older, her bedroom had been moved further down the hallway, but not too far away from their bedroom. Her hoofbeats echoed off the walls on either side of her. After all, it was a very narrow hallway, only big enough for one pony to walk through. _

_She stopped when she reached her parents' bedroom, hearing her father's snoring and her mother's light breathing. Perhaps she shouldn't wake them. After all, it was just a little nightmare. There was no need to wake them up over such a trivial matter. Then again, her fear wouldn't allow her to turn back now. But what if they got angry at her for waking them over such a minimal thing? What if they told her to go back to bed and stop bugging them over something so stupid? She'd walked all this way to make sure that they were all right. She couldn't turn back now. _

_The bedroom door was eased open and she quietly walked in, approaching her mother's side of the bed. Lifting a hoof, she gently nudged her mother, who didn't stir at her touch. Using both of her forehooves, she shook her mother until her mother finally lifted up her sleeping mask to see what was the matter. _

"_Rarity?" her mother asked. "What are you doing out of bed?" _

"_I had a bad dream," Rarity replied, "and I think there's something outside my window." _

_The two of them walked back to Rarity's bedroom. The bedroom light was switched on and her mother looked out the window. Hearing Rarity whimper, she momentarily looked back at her daughter, then glanced back at the window. She jumped slightly, suddenly seeing a tree branch appear and scrape against the window. Behind her, she heard Rarity cry out in fright, followed by a loud noise that told her that her daughter had dashed under her bed for comfort and safety. _

_Under her bed, Rarity shook. She jumped and yelled in fear when she felt something touch her. She ended up banging her head on the bottom of her bed. "Ow." She rubbed at her sore head. Hopefully, a headache wouldn't ensue and keep her up for the rest of the night. _

"_It's all right, Rarity, darling, it's just me," her mother said, rubbing her back. "There's nothing to be frightened of. It was just a tree branch that was banging against your window. Don't worry, I took care of it." _

"_So, there's nopony in my room?" _

_Her mother chuckled. "No." _

"_Oh." Even still, she was reluctant to come out of hiding, afraid that some horrible monster might grab her by surprise. _

"_You need to get some sleep," her mother instructed. Using her magic, she gently pulled her daughter out from under the bed and tucked her in. _

"_Will you stay here with me until I fall asleep?" _

_Her mother nodded. "Of course, dear." She bent down and pecked her daughter on the forehead. "Now, go to sleep." _

The memory made her laugh to herself now that she was a fully grown mare. How silly she'd been, thinking that there was somepony in her room waiting to take her away. How foolish a filly she'd been. It seemed Sweetie Belle was starting to show traces of how foolish some children could be.

Then again, Sweetie Belle would have kept quiet about the dream and no longer discussed it once Rarity had reassured her that it was just a bad dream, nor would her sister have gone to the extreme lengths to find out the meaning behind it. Maybe the dream was really trying to tell Sweetie Belle something. Or maybe her sister was blowing the whole thing out of proportion, exaggerating things as children often did. Even if she didn't think there was anything to the dream, Rarity still thought that maybe she should help Sweetie Belle on her quest to find out what her dream meant. At least if it turned out that the dream was nothing, it would at least reassure Sweetie Belle everything was all right.

She decided that while Sweetie Belle was at school tomorrow, she would join Twilight in finding out the meaning behind Sweetie's dream. Hopefully, it turned out to be nothing and Sweetie Belle would shut up about it and move on with her life instead of focusing all of her time and energy on it. With her mind made up, she slipped into bed and went to sleep.

Unlike ordinary mornings, Rarity gave Sweetie Belle the courtesy of being walked to school by her. Seeing as how she was going to Twilight's anyway, she figured it wouldn't hurt her to walk her little sister to school. The only thing that bothered her about walking Sweetie Belle to school was the fact that her little sister talked on and on about the dream she'd had last night. It was the same dream she'd had the night before, but this one was more detailed.

"Like the other night," Sweetie Belle said, "it was raining really hard. It was hard to see. All of a sudden, a bolt of lightning stuck a tree, blocking our path. It must have scared Dad 'cause all of a sudden he swerved to the left. After going through the forest, we went plummeting over a cliff. After that, nothing. All I could hear was Mom and Dad screaming and crying. I think I might have died."

"Sweetie Belle, keep this up and you're going to end up driving yourself crazy," Rarity warned.

"Rarity, you should be more supportive." She glowered at her older sister's backside. "These dreams have me really freaked out."

"Tell me about it," Rarity muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes. "Look, I'll tell you what. I'll go with Twilight to Canterlot to help her do research. Spike will pick you up after school and walk you home."

Sweetie walked ahead of Rarity. "Let's get to the schoolhouse."

Rarity giggled to herself, then proceeded to follow her little sister to the schoolhouse.

"Rarity?" Twilight blinked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'd figured you could use an extra set of hooves," Rarity said, walking past the bewildered unicorn.

"I'm all for that," Spike cheered, beaming.

Twilight closed the door and approached her unicorn friend. "So, you believe Sweetie Belle?"

Rarity sputtered her lips. "Don't be ridiculous, Twilight Sparkle. I just . . . I just figured I could use a little adventure."

"Rarity, I'm not the Element of Honesty and even I can tell that you're a terrible liar."

Rarity sighed. "All right, all right, you caught me. The truth is, I am a little freaked out by Sweetie Belle's dream." She looked up at Twilight worriedly. "What if something happens to Mother and Father while they're on vacation?" She let out a soft whimper.

Twilight hugged her tightly. "Don't worry, Rarity. That's not going to happen. Now let's go," She led Rarity out of the library.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Thank you for seeing us on such short notice, Princess," Twilight said.

Princess Luna smiled. "So, you say that you couldn't find anything in the library regarding the meaning behind this dream."

Twilight nodded. "That's right."

"And you even checked the library in Celestia's old castle?"

"Yes," Rarity replied. "What could it mean? It's driving my sister insane."

"Hmm . . ." Princess Luna tapped her chin with a hoof. "No doubt, there have been several ponies over the years who have had strange dreams and have had those dreams come true."

"So you really think it's a premonition?" Twilight asked.

"I don't know. How many times has Sweetie Belle dreamed this dream?"

"At least twice," Rarity remarked.

"So this dream has been reoccurring for the past two nights."

"Mm-hmm."

Princess Luna paced back and forth. For the most part, she was silent, but every now and then she would mutter to herself.

Meanwhile, Twilight and Rarity simply glanced at each other in a state of worry and confusion, silently waiting for Princess Luna to say something, anything, regarding the matter at hoof.

At long last, Princess Luna stopped and looked out a window. Her head tilted back as she looked up at the clear blue cloud-filled sky.

"Well?" Rarity asked.

"I will need to see the dream for myself in order to fully grasp the situation," Princess Luna stated. "I will visit Sweetie Belle tonight in her dream. Maybe that will help."

"But she's leaving for vacation tomorrow," Rarity whined.

"That's not nearly enough time to evaluate the situation and give us an answer as to what the dream could mean," Twilight insisted.

"I will be as quick and thorough as I can," Princess Luna promised. "Until then, I ask that you two please calm down. I can't work under such harsh circumstances. The most I can do now is visit Sweetie Belle in her dream and alert you of anything that I find odd about it."

Rarity sighed, dejected, but still happy that Princess Luna was agreeing to help them. "Thank you, Princess."

"In the meantime, I think we should continue to search the library once again for any books that we might have missed," Twilight suggested.

Rarity groaned. "But, Twilight, we've looked a _thousand _times."

"Another look around won't hurt."

Rarity groaned once again in annoyance, but nonetheless, followed her friend out the door.

"Find anything?" Twilight wondered out loud.

"No," Rarity answered dully, looking at various book titles as they circled around her head.

"Well, keep looking. If you find anything, let me know."

The books around Rarity's head plummeted to the ground, the magic grasping them having been released. "Twilight, this is dreadfully boring."

Twilight chuckled. "You're starting to sound like Rainbow Dash."

"Besides that, I'm starting to get hungry. And," she sneezed, "all this dust and dirt isn't good for my allergies . . . or my health."

Twilight rolled her eyes, but smiled. "All right. You win. We've been going at this for three hours now and, to be honest, I'm quite famished myself. Canterlot has some of the most delectable food ever! Come on!"

Rarity sighed in relief. "Thank you, Twilight." She nuzzled the mare while they exited the library. "You're such a gracious mare, you know that?"

Rarity moaned, biting off another forkful of salad. "Oh, my! This salad is simply fabulous! Mmm!"

"I told you," Twilight said, taking a bite of her hay burger. "I'm surprised you didn't get any dressing."

Rarity shook her head. "No, too fattening, dear." Her face suddenly fell and she sighed sadly. "It's a real shame Princess Luna couldn't really help us with our problem."

"At least she took time out of her day to try to help us."

Rarity nodded. "Yes, I can't fault her for that. Still, Sweetie Belle is heading off to Mother and Father's tomorrow afternoon, and I'm starting to get rather worried. What if Sweetie Belle's dream really is true and something terrible happens to them?" She bit at one of her hooves.

"Rarity, I told you, that's not going to happen. You have to have faith that they'll make it back home safely."

"I'm just concerned, that's all. When I first moved to Ponyville, I found myself unable to sleep some nights because I was so worried about my family back home. I even insisted that they write me as often as possible so that I'd know they were all right." She giggled. "Kind of silly, huh? Usually, it's the other way around, with the parents worrying about the child."

"Not at all, Rarity. You're very similar to Applejack in that way."

"How so, darling?"

"You care a great deal about your family, like I care a great deal about Spike."

Rarity brightened up. "Speaking of which, it really seems like he and my sister really like each other."

"Of course they do. They're friends, remember."

"Not in that way, darling. I mean, as lovers, a couple."

"Oh!"

"It at least would get him off my back and fantasizing about somepony else, even if it is my sister. But so help me," she wrugn up her napkin and stabbed at with her other hoof, glaring, "if he _ever _does anything to hurt my baby sister, so help me I will–"

"Rarity, you know as well as I do that that's not going to happen. He loves her just as much as you do and would never let anything happen to her. I have full confidence that he will do whatever he can to protect her if something should happen to you."

Rarity smiled brightly. "Thank you, Twilight." She ate another forkful of salad, chewing it thoughtfully. Upon swallowing she added, "You know, I think I will add a little bit of dressing, just to give it a bit of flavor. It's quite bland without the dressing, if you ask me."

Sweetie Belle smiled, seeing Spike approaching the schoolhouse outside the window.

"Class dismissed," Cheerilee announced.

The class erupted in applause, throwing papers in the air in cleebration before galloping out the door, with Cheerilee reminding them to do their essays over spring break.

Sweetie Belle hopped up and down when she approached Spike. "Hey, Spike!"

The little dragon chuckled. "You seem happy to see me." He spotted Scootaloo and Apple Bloom approaching them. "Can I give you guys a lift home?"

Apple Bloom shook her head and said, "Thanks, but Applejack is going to walk us home."

"Oh." He looked down. "Okay." In truth, he was a little disappointed, seeing as how he had enjoyed their witty banter and pleasant conversations yesterday.

"Yeah," Scootaloo agreed, nodding her head. She heard Rainbow Dash call her name. "I've gotta go! Nice talking to you, Spike."

"Yeah, same here," the dragon agreed.

The two of them started walking, watching as Applejack and Rainbow Dash led their friends away from the schoolhouse.

Sweetie suddenly stood on her hind hooves and placed her fore hooves on his chest, getting as close to his face as possible. "'I need some comfort and warmth in my life, Spike!" She fell forward as he fell on his back, causing her to fall on top of him. This didn't stop her from continuing her rambling. "Rarity isn't helping me at all figure out what my dream means, and I keep asking her about it and asking her about it and asking her about it, but she keeps on shooting me down! She must think I'm stupid or something."

"Okay," Spike said, "first of all, get off me."

She did so and helped him to his feet.

"Second of all," he added while dusting himself off, "you are not stupid! You got that? Just because you're stressing over some dream you've been having doesn't make you stupid. Plenty of ponies do that. According to a book I read once, some ponies believe that dreams are a glimpse into our subconscious, and others believe that dreams are a way of ponies attempting to solve problems that the conscious mind can't."

"Spike, you're starting to sound like Twilight."

He giggled. "Yeah, I guess I am. But you see my point, don't you?"

She nodded.

Just to elaborate he added, "Don't feel bad about yourself just because you're worrying over the meaning of a dream. It could be a vision of the future or maybe it's your worst fear playing out in a dream."

"What's your worst fear? Is it my sister rejecting you?"

He shook his head as they resumed walking. "No. It's Twilight telling me that she no longer needs me and her sending me away." He wiped away a few tears that threatened to make their presence known. He cleared this throat. "But I know that's a fear that could never happen. She loves me far too much to ever do something as cruel as abandon me."

She grinned. "Just like my sister."

"Mm-hmm."

Upon arriving at Carousel Boutique, they went to her bedroom where she collapsed on her bed, sighing in content.

"Will you be all right here by yourself?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I think I'm just going to lie down for a nap or something."

"All right. I'll see you around, then. I should get back to the library. Have a nice spring break."

Once Spike had left, she rested her head on her pillow.

It was deafly quiet when Rarity entered the Carousel Boutique from her trip to Canterlot. Princess Luna had been a great help to them, having promised her and Twilight that she would visit Sweetie Belle in her dream later on tonight so that she could fully evaluate the situation with the little filly. She would just have to wait and see what Princess Luna said about the situation. Until then, all she could do was hope that it was nothing more than a bad dream instead of a premonition.

She stopped in the middle of the Boutique, suddenly noticing how silent it was. She listened carefully for any sign of Sweetie Belle's presence. She decided to go ahead and go to Sweetie Belle's bedroom to make sure that her little sister was there.

In spite of her worry over her sister's safety, she walked quite slowly up the stairs and down the hall. Upon reaching Sweetie Belle's bedroom door, she knocked lightly a couple of times and pressed her ear to the door, awaiting an answer from her little sister. She received no response, forcing her to knock yet again, louder this time. Still no response. Finally, she checked to see if the door was unlocked and, upon finding out that it indeed was, wrenched open the door and walked in. She stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted Sweetie in bed, sleeping.

She didn't want to, but she was practically forced to wake her up from her slumber. If Sweetie Belle took a nap during the day, she wouldn't feel like going to bed when she needed to. Walking up to the bed, she lifted a hoof and gently shook Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie? Sweetie Belle! Wake up!"

The little filly stirred in her sleep, rolling over onto her other side. She smacked her lips and opened her eyes, jumping up when she saw Rarity looking down at her.

""Did you have . . . that dream . . . again?" Rarity asked.

"No."

"Sweetie Belle, are you hungry? I could whip us up something real quick, if you'd like."

"Hmm . . ." Sweetie Belle put a hoof to her chin in thought. "Come to think of it, I am kind of hungry." She lied back down and threw the covers over her head. "Call me when dinner's ready."

Rarity walked down to the kitchen.

Upstairs, Sweetie Belle lied on her back on her bed, staring at her doll that she held in her hooves. Itty Bitty Kitty, a stuffed cat that Rarity had given her as a birthday present one year. It had originally been Rarity's.

She rolled onto her side and held the stuffed kitten close to her chest, sighing heavily. Even if she and her sister got along quite well, she had to admit to herself that she was looking forward to the vacation next week. Even so, she was sill afraid that maybe her dream would come true while on vacation. She had yet to hear back from Rarity regarding all that she and Twilight had learned while in Canterlot. Perhaps her sister would tell her all about it over dinner.

It wasn't long before Sweetie Belle was called down to dinner. Reluctantly, she left her stuffed animal behind and ventured downstairs to the kitchen. Rarity was already seated at the table with her bowl of noodles in front of her. Directly across from her sat Sweetie's bowl of noodles. The little filly sat down at the table and started eating.

"Did you get home okay?" Rarity asked.

"Mm-hmm," Sweetie Belle replied, her mouth full of noodles. She imagined that she must have looked kind of silly with several strands of noodles dangling from her lower lip. She slupred them up and swallowed, making Rarity cringe. "What?"

"Really, Sweetie Belle, we need to work on your etiquette."

Sweetie nodded and attempted to eat the noodles more "ladylike" this time. She cleared her throat upon swallowing and, flicking back her mane with a hoof, asked, "So, did you find out anything today while in Canterlot?"

Rarity shook her head. "No. Don't worry, though. Princess Luna says she's going to investigate your dream to get a full grasp on the situation."

Sweetie brightened at this news. "All right!"

Rarity smiled. "You need to get in bed early tonight. Mother and Father will be here tomorrow afternoon to pick you up. Therefore, I find it only fitting that you go ahead and pack your things so you won't have to worry about doing it tomorrow."

"Can do."

Once dinner was over, Sweetie went and brushed her teeth. After packing her things, she climbed into bed and read a book, waiting for Rarity to come in and wish her good night. Her older sister did so an hour after she had climbed into bed. Sweetie set her book aside on her nightstand and lied down, pulling the covers up to her neck.

"All right," Rarity said. "Get a good night's sleep, and don't worry. If you have a bad dream, Princess Luna will be there to protect you."

Sweetie smiled up at her. "Thanks. Could you give me my doll, please?"

Rarity levitated Itty Bitty Kitty over to her and examined it. "You still have this raggedy old thing?"

"But of course."

Rarity leaned forward and took a whiff, only to jerk her head back in disgust. "Ugh! Good heavens, Sweetie Belle, when was the last time you had this thing washed?"

Sweetie tapped her chin with a hoof in thought. "I can't remember."

"Well, obviously, it's been a while. This thing is an absolute mess. There's bits of stuffing falling out, the left eye needs to be resewn on. While you're on vacation, I'll set to work on fixing this old thing." She finally allowed the doll to land in Sweetie's hooves. "Anyway, good night. Sleep tight." She leaned down and pecked Sweetie on the forehead.

"Don't let the bed bugs bite," Sweetie finished.

Rarity winced at the silly rhyme and turned without another word to Sweetie, flicking off the light and shutting the door as she exited the room.

Sweetie Belle was up bright and early the following morning, though her mood wasn't exactly joyful as she walked downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast. She didn't understand it. She had been looking forward to this for the past two weeks, so why wasn't she happy? Perhaps it was because she had that same dream yet again last night. Two times in a row was scary. Three times in a row and it was downright terrifying. At the very least, Luna had been able to comfort her, which had finally given her the peace she needed to get a good night's rest. So why was she so glum today?

Rarity was seated at the kitchen table, sipping a mug of hot coffee, when Sweetie Belle walked in. The pair said nothing to each other while Sweetie Belle prepared herself a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice. It wasn't until Sweetie was seated at the table and eating that Rarity decided to strike up a conversation.

"So, how did you sleep?" Rarity asked.

"Fine," Sweetie replied, eating a spoonful of cereal. "And you?"

"I slept just swimmingly. Was Princess Luna of any help?"

Sweetie nodded. "Yeah, I suppose, but I'm still worried."

Rarity gently patted her head. "Oh, don't fret too much over it. You're going on vacation this week, remember? Forget about that silly old dream and go have fun with Mom and Dad."

"I wish you could go with us."

"Oh, believe me, darling, I wish I could too, but I have orders to fill, remember?"

"Can't you take off for just one week?"

"Sweetie Belle, you know I can't do that. Who would be here to fill the orders? No, I simply cannot allow myself to fall behind. I must stay here and work if I wish to get these orders filled."

Sweetie sighed. "Well, I tried," she muttered.

"Have your things all packed?"

Sweetie nodded. "Mm-hmm. My suitcase is sitting on the bed."

"Got everything? Make-up, hair curlers, clothes for special occasions?"

"Yep. Got it all, I think."

"You'll be sure to stay in touch, won't you?"

"Of course. Though, maybe it's better if I just stay here?"

"What?! But that would mean that Mother and Father would have completely wasted their time coming down here! Why in Equestria would you want to stay here?!"

"Like I said, I'm still worried. What if something bad happens on our way to our destination? Or when we're coming back?"

Rarity lightly tapped her sister on the head. "Now stop this nonsense! I've heard quite enough! With that attitude of yours, something bad _is _going to happen!" She leaned and jabbed a hoof in Sweetie's chest. "You are going to stop obsessing over this silly dream of yours, go on vacation with Mother and Father, and you are going to have fun, understood?"

Rarity was so close to her that Sweetie Belle ended up falling on her back on the floor. She stared up at her sister's stern face and nodded her head weakly. "Yes, Rarity. I understand."

Rarity beamed and gently patted Sweetie on the head once again. "Good filly! Now go upstairs and brush your teeth. I'll let you know when Father and Mother have arrived. In the meantime, I'll be busy working."

Sweetie sighed and rolled her eyes, walking out of the kitchen. "When are you not busy working, Rarity?" she wondered out loud. "Don't you ever take a break?"

Later that morning, Rarity walked in Sweetie Belle's room. "Sweetie Belle? Would you mind doing a favor for me?"

The little filly turned her head from her book to look at her older sister. "What?"

"Would you be willing to model a dress for me?" Rarity approached the bed that Sweetie was lying on. "You're the only one small enough to fit in it."

Sweetie rolled her eyes. "All right." She set her book aside and followed Rarity. She was perplexed when Rarity led her to Rarity's bedroom instead of downstairs to the inspiration room.

"Lie down here," Rarity instructed, pointing to a mat resting on the floor.

Sweetie stared down at the mat, then looked up to say something, only to see Rarity rummaging around in her closet. She did as she was told and waited patiently for something to happen, although she was still confused as to why Rarity had taken her here.

"Ah, found them," Rarity cried. She levitated a package of diapers and set them beside Sweetie Belle. 'Just hold still and this will be over before you know it." She must have guessed that Sweetie was going to put up one heck of a fight because she put a hoof on Sweetie's chest, holding her down, while she removed one of the diapers from the pack and began unfolding it.

"Rarity, what the–" Sweetie cried.

Rarity cut her off. "This will just complete the ensemble, dear. Don't worry. You won't be wearing it for long, just for a little while, and then you can take it off as soon as we're done."

"I still don't understand."

"Well, you see, a client of mine is wanting me to design some clothes for foals. Hence, why I asked you to model for me. Won't you look so cute?"

Sweetie smacked her hoof away. "No! I don't want to–"

"Sweetie, please just do this for me. I promise this won't take long."

Sweetie sighed and folded her hooves. "Fine." Begrudgingly, she watched as Rarity fastened the diaper on her.

"Now, follow me," Rarity instructed.

The diaper rustled audibly when Sweete rolled over onto her stomach and got up on her hooves. The thickness of the diaper on her flank made it a little hard to walk, given that the padding was causing her to waddle. Nonetheless, she followed Rarity downstairs to Rarity's work room. There was a frilly pink dress that was levitated over to her and she was instructed to put it on. Rarity helped her do so and once she had done so, Rarity popped something in her mouth. She sucked on it for a few moments before realizing what it was. Upon doing so, she immediately spit it out and gagged. "Ugh!" She glared up at her sister. "What are you doing putting a pacifier in my mouth?! Wasn't the diaper humiliating enough?!"

"This is just to complete the look, darling," Rarity replied, sticking the pacifier back in Sweetie's mouth.

"All right."

Walking past Carousel Boutique at that moment were none other than Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and Pip, the latter of which had his camera with him.

Turning to look in one of the windows, Silver Spoon gasped and put a hoof to her mouth. Reaching behind her, she tapped Diamond Tiara. "Yo, Diamond, take a look at this!"

The rich filly walked up beside her best friend and gazed inside the store, only to lose herself in a fit of giggles. "This . . . this is . . . priceless," she cried, panting while she guffawed. "Poor little Sweetie Belle is wearing a frilly pink dress, a diaper, and sucking on a pacifier." She laughed. "I didn't know she was into that sort of thing."

"Hey, Pip," Silver Spoon called. "Get over here and get a few shots of this!"

The little colt did as instructed, snapping pictures of the humiliating scene taking place inside Carousel Boutique while Diamond Tiara and Silve Spoon were having the time of their lives, rolling around on the ground and laughing hysterically.

"You look great," Rarity said, beaming at her little sister. "My client is going to _love _this!"

Sweetie Belle, whose face was beet red from embarrassment, was inclined to disagree.

A knock was heard at the door.

"Oh," Rarity cried. "That must be Mother and Father!"

Sweetie's eyes widened at this revelation. Mother and Father were here already? Oh, no! She couldn't allow them to see her like this. Through the pacifier still in her mouth, she asked, "Can I take this dress off now?"

"Oh, yes, of course," Rarity replied, heading towards the door. "Thank you again, Sweetie Belle."

"You're welcome, sis." She took the time to glance at herself in the mirror. She couldn't help but blush at how babyish she looked, especially with the diaper on and the pacifier in her mouth. She turned around, her rear pointed at the mirror, so that she could see how she looked from behind. She had to admit that she looked positively adorable. She couldn't deny that fact. Her diapered rump especially looked cute.

"Sweetie Belle's just upstairs," she heard Rarity say. "Let me go get her."

Hastily, she spit out the pacifier and proceeded to get the dress and diaper off her as fast as possible. She made sure to carefully put the dress back where she'd found it while the diaper and pacifier were left discarded on the floor. She let out a sigh of relief as she headed to the front of Carousel Boutique to greet her mother and father.

Sweetie Belle was somewhat reluctant to leave with her mother and father. Part of her was worried that something bad was going to happen. Another part of her didn't want to leave because she didn't want to be away from Rarity. Nevertheless, after a tearful farewell between the two sisters, the family left the Boutique, leaving Rarity all alone.

Walking back in the Boutique, she suddenly became aware of how eerily quiet the Boutique was without Sweetie Belle around. Walking to the room where she usually worked, she began to miss her little sister's high-pitched laughter, her high, squeaky voice. For how annoying she was, that little filly really did bring an air of life to the Boutique, and Rarity found that she was missing her little sister more than anything else already.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Resitng in bed with her sleeping mask on, Rarity mumbled in her sleep. "Oh, are those sweet carrot pancakes I smell?" She gasped. "Mmm! How divine!" She smacked her lips. "The aroma . . . spiced warm apple cider." She sniffed the air. "Ahh, and the smell of . . . smoke. Smoke?!" She sat up in bed and fiddled with her sleeping mask to get it off. Once she had done so, she looked around the room. "Smoke?!" She sniffed the air yet again and she was indeed smelling smoke.

Screaming, she frantically tried to get out of bed, tripping over her comforter as she did so. Getting to her hooves, she bolted out the bedroom and down the hallway. She was running so fast that she hadn't bothered to take the stairs one step at a time and thus, ended up plummeting down the flight of stairs until she reached the bottom, landing face-first on the floor. Despite her position, she could tell that this was the area where the smoke was the strongest, so the source of the smoke had to have been coming somewhere around here.

"Rarity," a voice cried. "Ugh! You ruined the surprise! I was gonna serve you breakfast in bed!"

Lifting her head, Rarity looked over to the right to see Sweetie Belle standing in the middle of the kitchen with smoke emitting from the stove. She got to her hooves and walked in the kitchen, glaring down at her little sister. "Sweetie Belle! What in Equestria–"

"Well, good mornin', Rarity," a voice cried.

Rarity jumped and turned, seeing her mother and father standing near the kitchen table. "Father! Mother!"

"I'll have you know that Sweetie Belle here cooked this yummy lookin' breakfast all on her own," Hondo Flanks, her father, said proudly.

"I figured," Rarity muttered. She leaned down and examined a glass that looked like it was full of ash or soot or . . . something. She sniffed it, only to realize that it was orange juice. "I didn't know you could burn juice."

"I've been giving her lessons," Cookie Crumbles, Rarity's mother, told her. "I wouldn't be surprised if she's got a cuite mark in fancy cooking by the time we get back from our vacation."

"Yes, speaking of which," Rarity spoke up, "what is Sweetie Belle doing back here? She was supposed to go with you two on vacation, remember?"

"She insisted that we bring her back," Hondo Flanks stated. "No matter what, she refused to go on vacation with us. She actually seemed rather frightened to go on vacation with us. I guess she'll have to stay with you while we're on vacation."

"But I've got such a long to-do list," Rarity complained. She sighed. "Oh, well. I suppose 'spend time with your sister' will just have to be added to the list."

"We're gonna have the bestest time two sisters could ever have," Sweetie Belle squealed happily, hugging Rarity tightly. "I'm gonna go grab my stuff from Dad's wagon." She zoomed out the door, leaving Rarity alone with her parents.

It was at this time that both parents grew serious expressions on their faces.

"Rarity, dear," Cookie Crumbles said, "is everything okay with Sweetie Belle? She said that she's been having a recurring nightmare over the past several nights. It was the reason she gave why she didn't want to go on vacation with us, because she was afraid something bad would happen. Do you know anything that's going on?"

Rarity gritted her teeth and growled. "For crying out loud, Sweetie Belle!" She shook her head. "Don't worry. I told her not to fret, but she simply won't shut up about it."

"She seemed really freaked out about the whole thing," Hondo Flanks stated. "It took me and your mother over an hour to get her to go to sleep. Seemed really scared to go to bed, like she really thought that the dream was real or somethin'."

"You'll look out for her, won't you?" Cookie Crumbles asked, looking worried.

Rarity nodded her head. "Always, Mother. You have no reason to fear leaving her with me. You can have faith that she'll be safe with me while you're gone."

Cookie Crumbles smiled and gently nuzzled her oldest daughter tenderly. "Thank you, Rarity. Such a dear."

Despite how childish and awkward the moment felt to her, Rarity couldn't help but return the nuzzle. The moment was ruined, however, as a loud crash was heard. Both females turned to see Sweetie Belle beaming at them with her luggage in front of her.

Things between Sweetie Belle and Rarity were off to a rocky start. It seemed to Sweetie Belle that she couldn't do anything without her older sister getting onto her. She had tried cleaning up Rarity's inspiration room only for Rarity to yell at her for doing so. She had tried drawing Rarity a picture, only for the mare to throw a fit about the fact that Sweetie had used all of the baby blue sapphires, which, according to Rarity, were very rare. It had finally escalated to a huge argument between the two when Sweetie had asked Rarity if she'd be interested in taking part in the Sisterhooves Social, with both of them agreeing that neither one of them needed a sister before Sweetie had stormed off and gone to Sweet Apple Acres to spend the day with Applejack and Apple Bloom.

Rarity, having calmed down and seen the picture that Sweetie Belle had drawn for her, realized her mistake and finally found Sweetie at Sweet Apple Acres, roasting marshmallows with Applejack and her younger sister. Rarity had tried her hardest to reconcile with Sweetie Belle, but her efforts proved to be in vain. Sweetie insisted that Applejack be her new older sister, officially emancipating herself from Rarity's guardianship. It was only after a heartfelt talk with Applejack that Rarity finally decided to take part in the "uncouth" activity known as the Sisterhooves Social.

Once she had finally reconciled with Sweetie Belle, it had been a fun day for both of them. They had baked a pie togeter, played in the rain, and done a number of other things like braiding each other's manes.

Now Rarity walked in the room that Sweetie Belle was in, her mane adorned in a series of small bows. Sweetie's was as well, but not as many. Eying Spike sitting a couple of feet away from Sweetie Belle, quill and parchment at the ready, she cleared her throat and said, "Very well, then. What should we write to the Princess?"

"I'll start," Sweetie Belle offered. She turned to glance at her reflection in the mirror behind her, beaming. "Having a sister is just about the bestest thing in the world, but it sure isn't the easiest."

Rarity walked up and stood beside her, appearing in the mirror as well. "I agree that being sisters is a wonderful thing, but it takes teamwork. Sometimes it's about compromising. Sometimes it's about accepting each other's differences. But mostly it's about having fun together, even if it means getting your hooves a little bit dirty."

"A lot dirty," Sweetie Belle corrected.

"A little bit dirty," Rarity argued.

"A lot dirty."

"A little bit dirty!"

Fearing that an argument was about to ensue, Spike approached them.

"A lo–"

"Hold it, hold it," Spike cried, getting in between them. "How about 'a medium amount of dirty, not too little, not too much, just right?'"

Sweetie Belle and Rarity looked at each other before smiling and cryig in unison, "Deal!" They broke out into a fit of laughter that was only broken by a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," Rarity offered. She walked out of the room and to the front door. Opening it, she saw a couple of the Princess' royal guards standing on her doorstep. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. What can I do for you today?"

"Miss Rarity?" one of the guards asked.

Rarity nodded. "Yes, that's me."

"I'm afriad we have some terrible news, ma'am."

"What's going on, Rarity?" Sweetie Belle asked, appearing beside her older sister along with Spike.

Based on their gloomy expressions, Rarity guessed that the "terrible news" had something to do with her parents. What if Sweetie's vision had come true? She didnt' think she could handle that, much less Sweetie Belle. Turning, she levitated a sack of bits over to Sweetie Belle and Spike. "Here, Sweetie Belle. Why don't you and Spike go to Sugarcube Corner and treat yourselves to some sweets?"

"Sure," Spike cried, grabbing the sack. "Come on, Sweetie Belle!"

"But–" Sweetie began before being dragged away from the Boutique by Spike.

Rarity sighed in relief and turned back to the guards. "Now you can tell me. Is it about my parents?" She prayed to Celestia that it wasn't.

The guards nodded.

"Oh," Rarity said, raising an eyebrow. "And what about them?"

"They're . . ." The guard swallowed hard. "They're . . . dead, ma'am."

**A/N: For any of you wondering, Hondo Flanks and Cookie Crumbles were the names attributed to Rarity's parents in the transcript of "Sisterhooves Social" on the MLP Wikia. If anyone would like to correct me regarding their names, please do so and I will be more than happy to correct it. **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Rarity didn't hear anything else the guard said after that. His words went in one ear and out the other. All she heard was gibberish, intelligible talk. She felt as if somepony had ripped out her heart and set it aflame, then trampled on it, yet somehow she felt her heart beat faster. Her breathing became heavy, making her chest hurt and making it hard to breathe.

"Is there anypony you would like for me to contact?" the guard asked.

"No," Rarity breathed out. It was so barely audible that it might as well have been a whisper.

The guard nodded. "We're terribly sorry, ma'am. If there's anything we can do, please let us know."

Rarity nodded slowly, watching them go before bolting down the road.

Applejack wiped the sweat off her brow and gazed proudly at the baskets that lied underneath the tree, full to the brim with fresh, juicy apples. Propping one of them up on her head, she proceeded to the house. She jumped when Rarity suddenly appeared in front of her.

"I need to talk to you, now," Rarity cried.

"Well, I–" Applejack began. She was cut off in mid-thought as Rarity grabbed her and dragged her to the nearest barn. When she came to a stop, she angrily swatted Rarity's hoof away and glared at her. 'Con sarn it, Rarity, what in tarnation–" She stopped when she saw Rarity's expression, causing hers to soften considerably. "Hey, ya okay, sugarcube? Ya look like yer about ta cry."

Instead of answering, Rarity fell against Applejack's chest and wept while the latter gently patted and rubbed her head, whispering words of comfort.

"There, there, sugarcube," Applejack said gently. Picking Rarity up, she carried the unicorn over to a pile of hay and set her down. "Now, why don't you tell me all about it? What's goin' on?"

It took over a half hour for Rarity to compose herself to a point where she was able to tell Applejack everything that was going on.

Reluctantly, even though she knew it had to be asked, Applejack asked, "Have you told Sweetie Belle yet?"

"Oh, heavens, no," Rarity cried. She sniffled and dabbed at her eyes with a few strands of her curly mane.

"Well, yer gonna have ta tell 'er eventually, Rares."

"That's what I'm going to have trouble with. How did you tell Apple Bloom? How did you deal with it?"

"There's no right or wrong way of dealing with the death of a loved one, sugarcube, especially a parental figure, at least not that Ah'm aware of. We waited quite a while ta tell 'er. Shoot, Ah was just a little foal when they passed away, them bein' my Mom and Pop, of course." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, Ah was still going through the grieving process by the time Ah told Apple Bloom. Ah was so torn up that Ah had a hard time talkin'."

"So, how should I tell her, if I choose to?"

Applejack thought for a moment or two, pacing back and forth. Sighing, she sat down in front of Rarity. "Don't tell 'er when she's upset. It'll just upset her more. It'd be best if she heard it from ya than anypony else. Don't try to push her to talk to you about it. She'll probably be mighty upset when she finds out, so give 'er some time ta cool down and then try talkin' to 'er. Be calm and nonjudgmental. Don't raise your voice. Don't criticize her. Try to be as supportive as possible and watch what ya say."

Rarity nodded her head, mentally jotting down all of the pointers that Applejack was giving her. "Got it."

"So you cleaned the entire library," Sweetie Belle said to Spike, "and when she came home she was in a foul mood."

Spike nodded, popping another fry in his mouth. "Yeah, a real sour mood. She snapped at me, so that's why I went to Applejack's."

"Did she ever apologize or say why she was so upset?"

Spike thought for amoment before replying, "Something about Fluttershy getting scammed in the market. _Twenty _bits for _one _cherry." He scoffed and shook his head. "Can you believe it? Unbelievable!" After dipping it in his pile of ketchup, he ate another fry. "But, yeah, she apologized eventually."

Sweetie Belle smiled through the straw inserted in her mouth. "That's good to know. I wonder what those guards wanted at Rarity's."

Spike shrugged. "Probably wanting her to fill an order for some important social event up in Canterlot."

Sweetie nodded. "Maybe." She moaned, chewing what seemed like her twenty-fifth fry. "Mmm! These are the best fries ever!"

"Thanks," Pinkie Pie said, walking by them.

The pair chuckled to themselves.

"I'm really glad you decided to stay in Ponyville, Sweetie Belle," Spike said, dipping his fry in his shake. "I really enjoy spending time with you."

The unicorn filly blushed. "Thanks, but it wasn't really my decision to make."

"Huh?" The dragon gave her a puzzled look. "What are you talking about?"

"It was Princess Luna. She visited me in a dream and told me to return to Ponyville 'cause something bad was going to happen during my vacation with my mom and dad."

"Did she say what?"

"No. All she told me was to return to Ponyville for my own safety."

"Huh." He scratched his head with a claw. "That's kind of weird."

"What's weird about it? Luna cares just as much about us as Celestia does."

"I suppose that's true, but if something bad was going to happen, why wouldn't she warn your mom and dad too?"

"I'm sure she did. Maybe they went back home."

"One can only hope." He wolfed down his last fry. Upon swallowing, he turned to her and said, "I'll see you around, Sweetie. I've got to get back to the library and do some dusting."

Twilight was waiting for Spike when he got back to the Golden Oak Library. "Spike," she said, "did you clean the library the other day?"

He nodded, beaming. "I sure did! Took a while, but I think I did a pretty good job."

She shook her head. "You missed a few places, like in the bathroom and kitchen. Would you mind getting those for me while I alphabetize the books?"

"Again?"

"I think you might have misplaced some books. I just want to make sure that they're all in perfect order."

He rolled his eyes, but nonetheless, grabbed the mop bucket and mop and headed to the bathroom. He figured that it was best to get the nastiness that consisted of the bathroom out of the way first that way he wouldn't have to deal with it later. Flicking on the light, he inspected the room thoroughly, unable to find any speck of dirt or grime. He managed to find some on the corners of the toilet and around the back of it. He scratched his head, wondering how he could have possibly missed that. Perhaps he had been so tired by cleaning so much that he hadn't been paying attention. Regardless, he mopped up the mess, wringing out the mop, and then, after he was sure that the bathroom was completely clean of any dirt or grime, headed to the kitchen.

Twilight was still busy reorganizing the library when he put the mop and bucket away. He walked upstairs to the third floor of the library, where a series of books were levitating around her head, her eyes darting back and forth as she examined their titles, then proceeded to put them away. He beamed and announced, "Twilight, I'm done cleaning." He received no response from her. "Twilight?" Still, he received no response.

He sighed and went downstairs to their bedroom. He retrieved a photo album from one of the shelves of the bookcase that was within the room. Sitting on Twilight's bed, he began flipping through it, smiling upon viewing some photos of himself with Twilight and their group of friends. His expression changed to one of sadness when he observed the photos of him when he was much smaller, just barely able to talk. One such photo saw him sucking on the tip of his tail like it was a pacifier.

It was a shame that he'd had to grow up so fast in order to be Twilight's assistant. Not too long after he'd learned how to speak and walk, he had undergone training in order to be a faithful and good assistant for Twilight. Unlike Sweetie Belle, he really hadn't gotten the chance to be a kid. If it were possible, he would have gladly gone back in time in order to experience what it was like to be an actual child instead of a baby dragon with the mentality of an adult. Even so, he did have his moments where he was very much like a child.

Sadly, the possibility of him getting to experience what it was like to be a child again was very slim. He had a lot of chores that needed to get done. With how busy Twilight was with her studies and writing letters to Princess Celestia regarding her findings on the magic of friendship, the library would be a constant mess if it weren't for him. He was the one who kept the library nice and tidy, kept the books in alphabetical order, and kept the beds clean and made. Thanks to him, Twilight had a lot of weight lifted off her hooves, so she didn't need to worry about the dishes or cleaning the library since he more often than not kept it clean. He practically did the dishes every day, given that both of them needed to eat at least three times a day.

The photo album was put back and he decided that a nap would do him some good.

"What about the funeral?" Applejack asked Rarity. "What are ya gonna do then?"

The marshmallow unicorn sadly shook her head. "I don't know." She stared at the ground, her head in her hooves while she continued to sit on the pile of hay that Applejack had placed her on.

Applejack sat down beside her and gently patted her back. "Don't worry, sugarcube. We'll think of something. Do the others know?"

"No. You're the first to know. I figured that, with your experience with this sort of thing, you'd know what to do."

"Well, Ah ain't an expert by any means, but Ah hope Ah was able to help ya a little."

Rarity nodded. "You were. Thank you." She leaned forward and nuzzled Applejack gently. "Should I tell the others?"

"Well, that is a really a matter of family, but if ya really need yer friends to help ya through this, we'll be more than happy to help y'all."

"Thank you again, Applejack. I'd best be going."

"See ya later, sugarcube. If ya ever need anythin', let me know."

"I will." While not completely satisfied with how the conversation had turned out, she was at least happy that she had shared the tragedy with a friend. She had been able to get some things off her chest and had been able to get some advice about what the next step should be: tell Sweetie Belle. Though Applejack had given her some solid advice on how to tell Sweetie the truth regarding the demise of their parents, she figured that actually approaching Sweetie about it and how to handle the situation at hoof was going to be hard.

After arriving home, she went upstairs to check on Sweetie Belle. The little filly was busy playing in her room. Once she knew that Sweetie was safe and sound, she went to her room to do some thinking. Pacing back and forth, she wondered exactly how she should tell Sweetie about what had happened to their parents, or whether she should tell her little sister at all. No, not telling her at all would be dishonest, and she didn't want Sweetie to be angry at her for lying to her and hiding something as serious as the death of their parents. Before she knew it, she was mentally battling herself about what she should do.

Her rational side said, "Go ahead and tell her. It's best if she hears it from you than somepony else. She deserves to know the truth."

Her emotional side said, "But I don't want to traumatize her. She's only a child. Children shouldn't be worried about the death of their parents, especially a filly at her age. She should be laughing and running around and having fun with her friends, not trying to cope with the death of her parents. No, it's best if I just put it off until she's older, that way she'll be able to cope with it better."

"You really think being older makes one more capable of dealing with the death of a family member?" her rational side asked. "If anything, this is your fault for not listening to her. She kept telling you over and over and over again that something bad was going to happen, but, no. You wouldn't listen ot her and now you're paying the consequences."

"Still," she argued, "thank Celestia that Princess Luna told her to stay behind. Yes, she does have her moments where she can be unbearably annoying, as all children can be, but I still love her a great deal and I'm thankful that she wasn't involved with the accident." She shook her head. "I should have listened to her instead of thinking of her dream as nothing more than a nightmare. Ugh! What in Equestira is the matter with me?! I'm a terrible, terrible big sister! First I completely brush off a dream that she's terrified of, then I spend a whole day doing nothing but constantly getting onto over trivial matters! Oh, Rarity, you are so stupid sometimes, you know that?!"

"Exactly my point," her rational side said. "If you truly loved your little sister, you would tell her the truth and help her through the coping process. That's what you're here for, isn't it?"

She nodded her head. "Well, yes, but I don't want to ruin the rest of her vacation by dropping a huge weight like that on her hooves. It can wait until after vacation, can't it?"

"But by then, all of Ponyville will probably know and everypony she comes into contact with will be telling her how sorry they are about her loss, and she won't have any clue about what they're talking about. Besides that, the report of their death will probably be in all of the papers. She can read, can't she?"

"Yes, but she doesn't read the papers. She finds them dreadfully boring."

"You have to tell her the truth. It's the right thing to do. If you don't, it means you don't love her."

"But I don't want to hurt her. I just couldn't live with myself knowing that I had brought this great weight on her. Telling her that her parents are dead would completely destroy her whole world. Does not telling her mean that I love her too?"

"Hiding the truth from her for so long would only hurt her more. Yes, telling her will hurt, but not as much as it will if she finds out you've been lying to her regarding the whereabouts of her parents."

She shook her head. "I'm still not sure. Perhaps I should practice first before I tell her, if just to get my thoughts together."

"Are you going to tell her about what happened?"

"I don't know. Maybe, but I'll need some time."

"Very well, then."

Sighing, she headed off to the kitchen, feeling the need to calm herself. "Where's that vanilla oat swirl ice cream?" she asked, looking in the fridge.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It had been a couple of days since Rarity had been alerted about the tragedy that had befallen her parents and she had yet to tell Sweetie Belle. She was still struggling mentally and emotionally on what to do about the situation. Applejack may have told her how to handle the situation, but the farm pony hadn't exactly told her how to tell her little sister about what was going on.

The funeral was approaching and Rarity was unsure on what to do about it and Sweetie Belle. She supposed that she could ask Spike to take her for the day, to keep her occupied, but she figured that he would be going to the funeral himself. She guessed that all of her friends knew about the tragedy by now, having read it in the papers, and surely they would be going to the funeral as well. She wished that the funeral hadn't been held on a weekend, then she could be at the funeral while Sweetie Belle was at school.

That was another thing that worried her. How would Sweetie's knowing about her parents' death and trying to cope with it affect her performance in school? Sweetie was an exceptionally bright and intelligent pony, even if she had some pretty stupid ideas that oftentimes got her and her friends in trouble. She hoped that Cheerilee would be understanding and help Sweetie through her schoolwork while she attempted to cope with what was going on in her life. Of course, when she wasn't working, Rarity herself would be available to help her.

Worrying about how the death of their parents would affect Sweetie's performance in school could wait. Rarity's main priority right now was keeping her as far away from the funeral was possible, if only to keep her from any emotional harm. What was she going to do? She couldn't leave her with Apple Bloom or Scootaloo, seeing as how they would probably be going to the funeral. What about Granny Smith or Big Macintosh? Big Macintosh would probably be going to the funeral, but Granny Smith would probably be staying home. . . .

Yes, that was it! Rarity could always leave Sweetie Belle with Granny Smith. Then again, Granny Smith was, for lack of a better term, old and required naps during the day. She couldn't leave Sweetie with an unattentive guardian. What if she got hurt? No. She just couldn't risk it.

Rarity sat and thought long and hard about what she could do about how to keep Sweetie away from the funeral. She figured that her best choice would be to see if Twilight was willing to take care of her throughout the day. With how busy Twilight's schedule was, she doubted that Twilight would be going to the funeral. Even if Twilight couldn't watch her, Spike would at least be there to keep her company. They were very good friends and she was certain that Spike wouldn't mind at all watching her for the day, if not for a few hours.

With her mind made up, Rarity left the Boutique and walked over to the Golden Oak Library. As usual, Twilight had her nose (quite literally, in fact) in a book, her eyes darting back and forth while she read. Rarity practically had to shout in order to get her attention, and even Spike had to jab her in the side with his claw to get her to look up.

"Sorry, darling," Rarity said, "but I have a favor to ask of you. You see, my parents have recently passed away and–"

"Oh, yes," Twilight said, nodding her head. "I read all about it in the papers. I'm so sorry. Does Sweetie Belle know?"

"No, she doesn't, and that's why I need you. The funeral is this weekend and I want to keep Sweetie as far away from it as possible. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind taking her for the day."

"Rarity, why would you want to keep her away from her parents' funeral?"

"Well, to protect her of course. I can't let her go through the pain and anguish of losing a loved one, can I?"

"But what's she going to think when she finds out that you've been lying to her all this time? Going to funeral would give her the chance to say goodbye to them one final time. Why would you want to rob her of that opportunity?"

"I'm just afraid that if I let her go to the funeral, it's going to end up hurting her." She shook her head. 'I can't let her go through something like that."

"What about you? How are you doing?"

"I'm not doing much better myself, to be honest, and I don't want Sweetie Belle to go through what I'm going through right now."

"But, Rarity, it's part of the grieving process. Sure, she'll be hurt, but that's why you're there, to help her through the grieving process. Isn't that what being a big sister is all about?"

"I . . . guess so . . ."

"So, you haven't told her yet?" Spike asked.

"No, I haven't," Rarity admitted, looking down at the floor. She timidly looked up at the pair. "Is that . . . bad?"

"Bad?" Twilight repeated. "Of course it's bad. It's going to hurt her more if she finds out about it from somepony other than you. She'll feel like you've betrayed her. She'll never trust you again. It'll soften the blow if she hears it from you. Trust me. She'll feel that she can come to you to help her through it. If she doesn't, then she won't come to you for help if she has a problem. She'll think that you don't care."

Rarity blinked. "Twilight, don't you think you're exaggerating a little bit?"

"No, I don't. I'm serious, Rarity. You need to tell her. You at least owe her that much."

Rarity sighed. "I suppose you're right. It's easier said than done, though."

"Well, you could always practice." She suddenly grabbed Spike and pushed him forward. "Here. You can practice with Spike. I'll be in the other room doing some reading." And with that, she walked out of the room, levitating a book behind her.

Rarity swallowed and eyed Spike, who took a couple of steps back. "Right, then." She cleared her throat and spoke. "Sweetie Belle?"

"Yes, Rarity?" Spike asked in a high-pitched voice.

She cringed at the pitch of his voice, but proceeded. "We need to talk."

"'Bout what?"

"Okay, I can't do this if you're going to talk like that. Be serious!"

"I am being serious."

"Just . . . talk normal, will you?"

He nodded. "Fine."

"We, uh . . ., we have to talk about something very important."

"Go on." He motioned for her to proceed.

"Well, I . . . I . . . I . . . Oh, I can't do this!" She bolted out the door.

Spike sighed. "Well, the important thing is you at least tried, Rarity." Turning, he walked over to Twilight's bed, pulled out the photo album, and began looking at it yet again.

Rarity found herself back at Sweet Apple Acres in a matter of minutes. Funny, she had been thinking about simply heading back home. How had she ended up here? It didn't matter. What mattered was that she needed to talk to somepony, anypony, about what she should do next.

She found Applejack arguing with Rainbow Dash near one of the apple trees. Apparently, the pegasus had been caught sleeping in them again. She had become irritated when Applejack had bucked her out of it, causing her to land on her head on the ground. Now she was complaining about a headache and possible neck and head injuries that could possibly negatively affect her spine. It was just as well as Rarity seemed to have arrived to stop the argument from developing into a fight between the two. She walked up to the pair, who both fell silent when Applejack caught sight of her.

"Hey, Rarity. How ya doin'?" Applejack asked.

"I need to talk to you," Rarity replied. She turned to Dash and added, "Alone."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I can take a hint. If you need me, I'll be napping on one of the clouds."

"And no eavesdropping," Applejack warned sternly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah . . ." Rainbow Dash muttered.

Once the rainbow-colored pegasus was gone, Applejack turned to Rarity. "So the funeral's this weekend. Is Sweetie Belle going?"

"No. That's what I'm having trouble with. I'm not exactly sure how to tell her." She frowned and her eyes brimmed with tears. "For the life of me, Applejack, I can't think of how I'm going to tell my little sister that her mother and father are . . ." She turned away and put a hoof over her eyes as her body began to shake. "Dead," she squeaked out before collapsing to the ground and beginning to sob. She felt Applejack gently pat her on the back and whisper words of comfort in her ear, but it did little to console the distraught mare.

"There, there, there, sugarcube," Applejack said soothingly. "It's okay. This is a good thing. Just let it all out. You need this." Fearful that her friend would cause a scene, she quickly scooped Rarity up and carried her inside the house.

"What's wrong with Rarity?" Apple Bloom asked, seeing the pair walk in.

"Bedroom, now," Applejack ordered.

"But–"

"Bedroom, now!"

The yellow filly nodded and walked down the hall to her bedroom.

Meanwhile, Applejack gently set Rarity on the living room couch and rubbed her back while the mare continued to bawl her eyes out. Eventually, the sobs turned to labored gasps for air, her back heaving up and down while she struggled to catch her breath. On Applejack's count, Rarity breathed in and out, slowly but surely regaining control of her breathing once again. Applejack was so busy coaching Rarity that it took her a while to realize that Rarity's breathing had slowed considerably, telling her that the unicorn had fallen asleep. She retrieved a blanket and a pillow from the hall closet. After covering up Rarity and placing the pillow over her head, she went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Rarity awoke a few hours later to the smell of bacon and biscuits. She rolled over onto her stomach and looked up.

"Hey," Applejack greeted her, smiling. "You hungry? Care to join us for dinner?"

"Oh, thank you kindly, but I'll just fix myself something to eat when I get home."

"Are you sure? There's plenty of food to go around. We'd love to have you. Besides, it'd give us a chance to figure out what to do about Sweetie Belle."

Rarity sighed. "Well, if you insist . . ." She walked in the kitchen and took her seat.

Applejack cupped a hoof over her mouth and bellowed, "Soup's on, everypony!"

While Big Mac, Granny Smith, and Apple Bloom walked in the kitchen, Rarity asked, "What about Sweetie Belle?"

"I had Apple Bloom walk her over to Twilight's while you slept," Applejack explained. "She should be all right until ya pick her up. Ah'm sure Twilight will make sure to feed 'er."

"I don't know, Applejack," Rarity argued. "You know how Twilight gets when she's busy with her studies."

"Don't worry about it, Rares. Ya know as well as Ah do that Spike will take care of 'er."

Rarity chuckled. "I suppose you're right."

"Ya really should learn ta not worry so much." She set a plate of bacon and biscuits on the table, then set a pan of gravy and a pot of eggs on the table. "Hope ya don't mind havin' breakfsast fer dinner."

Rarity shook her head. "No, not at all. It's brain food, isn't it?"

"Exactly! Go on, help yourself."

"Oh, um, all right."

The dinner started out pleasantly enough, with the Apples telling Rarity how sorry they were for her losss, though she politely suggested that they avoid the topic of her dead parents. Even so, Applejack encouraged her to talk about it, seeing as how they still needed to figure out what they were going to do about Sweetie Belle. Regardless of how she felt about it, Rarity agreed with Applejack. Thus, a conversation ensued that involved all of the members of the Apple family as they each told Rarity what they thought they should do.

"Believe me, Rarity," Applejack said, "Ah know how ya feel. Ah could have easily lied to Apple Bloom about what happened ta 'er parents, but Ah just wouldn't have felt right about being dishonest to her like that."

"But you're the Element of Honesty," Rarity argued. "It's nearly impossible for you to lie. I don't have that problem."

Applejack frowned. "So ya would be perfectly content with lying to 'er."

Rarity's face plummeted to the table and she let out a loud groan of annoyance. Pulling on her mane, her head shot up and she growled in frustration. "Damn it all!" She slammed a hoof against the table.

"Rarity," Applejack snapped. "Language!"

Rarity nodded. "Quite right, Applejack. No need for that. Most unladylike." She sighed, rubbing at her temples. "I'm just so confused right now. I don't know what to do about anything that's going on. I just . . ." She wrung her napkin in anger and threw it down on the table. "I just feel like going to the nearest building and setting everything in sight on fire!" She covered her mouth. "Oh, dear. I'm really starting to lose it, aren't I?"

"That's perfectly natural, sugarcube," Applejack said, leaning forward and setting a comforting hoof on Rarity's. "It's okay to feel angry about what's going on. When mah folks died, Ah was so pissed that Ah lashed out at everpony around me. Ah didn't want ta be around anypony, and other times all Ah wanted was to be held and cuddled and be told that everything was gonna be all right. Y'all probably go through that yerself, and Sweetie Belle as well, so prepare yerself."

Rarity shook her head. "I'm so lost right now. I don't whether I should tell her or if I shouldn't tell her. I don't know who to turn to or what to do."

"You could always go to a family counselor," Apple Bloom suggested. "That could probably help."

Applejack nodded her head. "That's a great idea, Apple Bloom."

"Eeyup," Big Mac agreed, nodding.

Rarity beamed at the family among her. "It's worth a shot." A thought suddenly struck her. "Oh, but I would never be able to get out of the house without Sweetie Belle wanting to know where I was going."

"Don't worry about it, Rarity," Applejack said. "Ah'll take her for the day. She can help me and Apple Bloom with some of the chores 'round here. She seemed to really enjoy it last week, after you . . . you know."

"Ugh! Please do not remind me of that horrid day. I was such a terrible big sister." She shook her head.

"At least ya apologized and y'all made up."

Rarity nodded, taking a bite out of her biscuit. "I suppose that's true."

"Yer sure ya want to do this?" Applejack asked. "Ah'm warning ya: if ya do this, it's gonna come back ta bite ya in the rump."

"Applejack, darling, would you relax? I know what I'm doing."

Applejack sighed and shook her head. "All right, but don't say Ah didn't tell ya so."

Twilight had been reading for the past couple of hours. It was only after her stomach growled that her eyes diverted from the book. It was just as well, seeing as how it was half past noon. She glanced behind her at Spike, who was busy cleaning the dishes. She turned and addressed him. "Spike, I'm going out for a while, okay?"

He nodded. "Okay. Sounds good." He scrubbed furiously at a bit of food that seemed to be stuck on a plate that he was washing.

"I don't know when I'll be back. Be good and mind the library for me while I'm gone."

"You can count on me." He growled in frustration and scrubbed even harder. _Out, _he thought. _Out, damned spot! _He gritted his teeth. He was about ready to say, "Screw it," and smash the plate against the floor.

"Thank you, Spike. I'll see you later."

"I'll be here." Beads of perspiration began to run down his brow and cheeks. "Ugh!" The little slab of food refused to budge.

Turning, Twilight walked towards the front door and headed outside. She needed to get something in her stomach to quieten its growling, and quick! It didn't surprise her too much that she was in the mood for something sweet. Naturally, the first place she checked out was Sugarcube Corner.

The shop was busy as usual, but luckily not too busy. This was perfect. She could easily grab her food and get out. She walked up to the counter and was warmly greeted by Pinkie Pie.

"Hey, there, Twilight," the cotton candy-colored mare cried, beaming. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, just fine," Twilight said.

"So, you still wanna check out those scented candles? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

Twilight nodded. "Of course. I'm free tomorrow. Feel free to bring them over, say around noon? I want to try them all."

"All?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Well, okay, I guess I could do that, provided that Mrs. Cake doesn't mind. Anyway, what can I get for you? How about some eclairs? Or maybe some cake? Ooh! We have these scrumptious, delicious, awesome, amazing blueberry muffins! Derpy just utterly _adores _them! She comes in here practically every morning, ordering about a dozen of them!"

Twilight chuckled. "Could I just get a batch of blueberry donuts?"

"Sure! How many?"

"Half a dozen ought to do it."

"Coming right up! That'll be ten bits, please!" She reached out a hoof.

"Of course." Ten bits were levitated and laid on the counter. "Here you go!"

"Thanks, Twilight." She took the bits and put them in a small brown sack. She went in the kitchen to fill the order.

While waiting for her order, Twilight took the time to look around the shop. The usual patrons were seated at their regular tables. Bon Bon and Lyra Heartstrings were seated at a table, having a friendly chat. Daisy and Roseluck were sharing a bowl of chocolate-flavored ice cream. Even Vinyl Scratch was talking with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Happy to see a couple of friendly faces, she walked over to them. "Hey."

All three mares looked up and saw Twilight approaching them.

"Hey, Twilight," Rainbow Dash greeted her. "What's up?"

"Just grabbing a bite to eat," Twilight replied. "What are you guys doing?"

"Oh, we're just talking about things that have been going around Ponyville lately," Fluttershy remarked. "Have you heard the news about Rarity's parents?"

Twilight's face fell and she sat on her haunches, her eyes falling to the floor. "Unfortunately, yes." She nervously looked up at them. "How is Sweetie Belle taking it?"

"She doesn't know," Rainbow Dash said. She actually looked greatly displeased by this fact, given the scowl on her face as she said it.

"What?!" Twilight cried. "You mean Rarity hasn't told her yet?!"

"No," Fluttershy said.

"If you want my opinion," Vinyl Scratch spoke up, "I think it's extremely selfish of her." She shook her head. "I just couldn't live with myself knowing that I never told my younger sibling about something as big as that." She scoffed and pounded the table with a hoof. "What's the matter with her?!" She snorted.

Twilight nodded. "I guess I'm not the only one who's upset about it."

"Seriously, what kind of crap is that?" Rainbow Dash continued hatefully. "How does Rarity sleep at night knowing that she's lying to her little sister? And from what I've heard from Applejack, Rarity isn't even planning on taking Sweetie Belle to the funeral! She's making up some lame excuse not to take her something." She gritted her teeth as she shook her head and folded her hooves. "She's going about this thing all wrong! It's wrong!" She too pounded the table with a hoof, grinding her teeth in irritation.

Twilight tenderly placed a hoof on top of Rainbow Dash's. "Easy there, Rainbow. Look, I know how . . . well, infuriating . . . this all is, but we can't force Rarity to tell Sweetie the truth. We have to let her handle this on her own way."

Rainbow Dash scoffed. "Screw that! If Rarity won't tell her, I sure as heck will!"

"No, you won't," Twilight snapped, glaring. "All you'll end up doing is causing more problems for them than they already have!"

Rainbow Dash got in Twilight's face, their noses pushing against each other. "Oh, so we're supposed to let Rarity lie to Sweetie Belle and not do anything about it?!"

Twilight firmly nodded. "That's exactly what we should do. We can't tell Rarity how to handle the situation."

"Why can't we?!" Rainbow Dash threw her hooves in the air. "It's for Sweetie's own good."

Fluttershy nodded. "Better she hear from one of us besides being falsely misled by Rarity."

Rainbow Dash nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah! What she said!"

"Look, girls, I know you want to help, but we can't just butt our noses in their private business. We have to have faith that Rarity knows what's she's doing–"

"But she _doesn't _know what she's doing," Rainbow Dash cried, cutting Twilight off. "Sweetie Belle has every right to know what's going on. How's she going to react when she finds out that Rarity's been lying to her this whole time?! It's not going to be pretty, I can tell you that right now!"

"Rainbow . . ." Twilight said.

"And if you ask me, if Rarity doesn't want to cooperate and do the right thing, then I'd be more than happy to–"

"Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy hissed.

The cyan pegasus rounded on her. "What is it, Fluttershy?!" She suddenly stopped, noticing that she was hovering over the table. Not only that, but the shop had become eerily silent, all eyes focused on her. She blushed and rubbed her neck. "Heh heh. Sorry about that. Come on, Fluttershy. We'd better go." She grabbed her friend's hoof and led her outside.

Twilight sighed and gave Vinyl Scratch an apologetic look. "Vinyl, I'm sorry about that."

"Eh, don't worry about it," Vinyl Scratch replied. "She's upset about everything that's going on. It's perfectly natural."

Twilight nodded. "Yeah, I suppose so."

"Order number thirty-nine," Pinkie Pie called. "Half a dozen blueberry donuts!"

"Oh, there's my order," Twilight said. "Nice talking to you, Vinyl."

"Yeah, same here," Vinyl agreed.

Feeling that she had already caused enough of a scene, Twilight grabbed her box of donuts and went outside. She decided that it'd be nice to go to the park to enjoy her meal. In truth, she didn't know what she'd ordered so many donuts at once. There was no way that she was going to eat all of them at once. Maybe she could give whatever was left over to Spike for dinner.

A few friendly faces that she knew said hello to her while she was seated at the park bench, scarfing down her donuts. She ignored them, partly because she didn't really hear them. She was too lost in her thoughts. She supposed Rainbow Dash had every right to be upset with Rarity. Twilight couldn't honestly say that she blamed her. She would be ticked off if her brother passed away and her parents didn't tell her. How hurt she would be if that were to happen. For one, her brother would be dead. For another thing, her parents would be lying to her, trying their best to cover up the truth. If she would have been deeply hurt by this turn of events, how much hurt would Sweetie Belle be when she found out the truth?

If Rarity wasn't going to tell her, then Twilight partly agreed with Rainbow Dash that it was their duty to tell her the truth. They were family, after all. In order to keep the family together, to keep them from splitting up, they had to be honest with each other. But was honesty the best policy if it meant hurting somepony? Now she wasn't so sure anymore, doubly so in light of the fact that the pony that would be hurt was no older than ten, eight or nine at the least. Now she could see why Rarity was debating with herself about whether or not she should tell Sweetie the truth. Quite the conundrum they found themselves in.

Even if they were family, it wouldn't be right for Twilight or anypony else to barge into Rarity's personal business and force her to make a decision just because they thought that it was the right thing to do. They just had to trust that Rarity would make the right choice in the end.


	8. Chapter 8

Chaper 8

Rarity's plans didn't go as smoothly as she would have hoped. When she and Sweetie Belle arrived at Sweet Apples Acres on the day of their parents' funeral, Apple Bloom and Applejack had already gotten started on the chores and were enlisting the help of Big Macintosh and so didn't necessarily need Sweetie's help. This left Rarity with only one other option. Since all of her friends, minus Applejack and her family of course, were going her parents' funeral, she figured that the best alternative would be to take Sweetie to Twilight's for the day while she attended the funeral in Canterlot.

Twilight was already properly dressed and was getting her mane done when Rarity and Sweetie arrived. Since Spike was busy mopping the floor, she went ahead and answered the door.

"Twilight?" Sweetie asked. "What are you doing all dressed up?"

"Oh, um, I'm going to visit my parents in Canterlot," Twilight told her. "I figured a trip to Canterlot would be nice since Rarity's going there anyway because–"

"Of urgent business," Rarity quickly interrupted. She nodded her head. "Yes, that's it! One of my clients accidentally tore her dress and she's asked for my assitance with repairing it."

Sweetie Belle blinked. "Can't they just get a refund or ship it to your shop so you can repair it? Seems awfully tedious for you to go all the way to Canterlot just to repair a tear."

Rarity chuckled and gently patted Sweetie's head. "Oh, Sweetie Belle. You're so naïve when it comes to the business world." She gently pushed her little sister inside the library. "Anyway, you'll be spending the day with Spike while I and Twilight are at Canterlot."

Sweetie turned, facing the two mares. "Why can't I go with you?"

"Because . . ." Rarity quickly came up with an excuse. "Because you'll just get in the way."

"But why do I have to stay here? Can't I stay with Fluttershy or Pinkie Pie?"

"They're both busy," Twilight replied.

"Doing what?"

"Working," Twilight added. "What else?" She eyed Spike still mopping the floor. "Excuse me a moment." She walked past Sweetie Belle and over to Spike. She bent down to him and whispered, "Listen to me. Sweetie Belle doesn't know what's going on. Please don't say anything to her about why we're really going to Canterlot."

"But why?" he whispered back. "Doesn't that sound kind of . . . selfish?"

"Spike, just please do this for me, all right? If not for me, then do it for at least Rarity. It's what she wants and we have to respect her wishes."

He sighed. "Okay, but I don't like it."

She nodded, understanding his position. "I don't like it either, Spike, but we have to trust that Rarity knows what she's doing."

"If you ask me, she doesn't."

"Spike . . ."

"Okay, okay, I won't say anything."

She pecked him on the cheek, making him blush. "Good boy. Keep her busy and stay as far away from the topic of her parents as possible and you should be fine. I've got to go." She joined Rarity by the door and walked out with her, shutting the door behind them.

Spike sighed and turned to Sweetie Belle. "So, what do you want to do now? You want to go to Sweet Apple Acres and pick some apples? Or we could go to Sugarcube Corner, grab a snack."

She chuckled. "You're hungry, aren't you?"

He looked down, fiddling with his claws. He timidly looked up at her, blushing. "Y-yeah."

"I thought so. Sounds good to me. Let's go." She walked past him and over to the front door.

Later, the two of them sat in Twilight's bedroom, the photo album opened on Spike's lap.

"Aww," Sweetie gushed. "You were so cute back then. What happened to you?"

"Hey!" He gently shoved her, chuckling to himself as he turned the page.

"So you two have been together your whole lives, huh?"

He nodded. "Yeah, pretty much." He turned another page in the photo album.

"So, she's kind of like your big sister, huh?"

He shook his head. "Not really. To be honest, I've always seen her as a mother figure."

She blinked. "Really?"

"If you want to get technical, I've always seen Applejack as a big sister figure."

She chuckled and lightly nudged him with her rump. "You'd better watch it, Spike. Apple Bloom might get jealous."

He giggled along with her. "Ah, she doesn't mind–" He suddenly jumped, causing his small body to leap off the bed. He turned his head to look over at her to find that she had sneezed and was now rubbing at her nose with her hoof. "Hey, you okay?"

"Ugh! I've been sneezing and coughing nonstop for the past two days now!"

"Let's hope you're not getting sick."

She nodded in agreement.

"Have you been around Apple Bloom recently?" he asked. "She was sick the last time I was over at her house."

"I was with her the other day while helping her and Applejack with some chores, but I don't think she was sick."

"She could have been." He tapped his chin in thought. "Now that I think about it, she was walking pretty sluggishly last week when I was walking you guys home. Maybe she hadn't completely gotten over her illness yet."

"I think . . . ah . . . ah . . . ah-choo!" Her curly mane flew up as she sneezed, sending an assault of saliva and germs in Spike's face. She sniffled and rubbed at her nose yet again. "Sorry."

He said nothing in response. Instead, he reached over to Twilight's bedside table and handed her a box of tissues. Gratefully, she took a couple and blew her nose. He set the tissues aside.

"If I am sick, you'd probably not be around me," she warned. "You wouldn't want to get sick."

With how toxic his relationship with Twilight had become recently, Spike wasn't so sure he concurred with Sweetie's statement. A few days lying in bed doing nothing while Twilight waited on him would have done him some good. It would have felt nice not to do anything and lie in bed while somepony waited on him. But was he really that selfish that he was willing to get himself sick just so he wouldn't have to do any chores for a few days and so he could boss Twilight around like she did him all the time? In spite of his frustrations with all of the responsibilities he had around the librbary, his kind nature wouldn't allow him to exploit his situation like that. He just wouldn't feel right about it.

He grinned at her. "You'll be fine. You just need some rest." He decided to change the subject. "So, when are your folks supposed to get back from their vacation?" He mentally slapped himself the instant this phrase left his mouth. Twilight had given him explicit instructions not to say anything about her parents. What had he been thinking?!

She shrugged. "Next week, I think. Why?"

"Oh, uh, just, uh . . . just wondeirng, that's all." He gave her a nervous smile which he hoped would be enough to persuade her to drop the subject and move on.

She smiled. "That's so sweet of you, Spike." She reached up and gently patted him on the head. She turned back to the photo album that still lied in his lap. "Growing up sucks, don't you think so, Spike?"

He nodded. "I agree with that." He once again recalled the large amount of responsibility that he had throughout the library and once again recalled how nice it would have been to go a couple of days without having to worry about getting them done. "Honestly, a part of me wishes that I could go back."

She gave him a bewildered look. "What do you mean?"

"When you think about it, foals are the luckiest ponies in Equestria. They have nothing to worry about, no responsibilities, no bills to pay. All they have to worry about is when they're going to be fed and changed."

"Yeah, it does sound appealing, much better than living the life that I do now."

He frowned. "Are those stuck-up," he swallowed, "bitches still giving you a hard time about your blank flank?"

She looked down at the floor, looking crestfallen. She rubbed at one of her forelegs and muttered dejectedly, "Yeah . . ."

His blood boiled and his facial expression hardened. "Those bitches . . ." His claws tore at the photo album he held. He felt Sweetie tenderly touch his face and his temper diminished while his facial expression softened at seeing her concerned look. "I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle. Sorry for the language. I just . . . do not like those two one bit!"

She smiled, letting out a small chuckle. "I know what you mean, Spike. None of us do. To be honest, I don't think Miss Cheerilee likes them much either. I think she just puts up with them because her daddy's," she rolled her eyes, "the richest pony in Ponyville." She snorted. "Like you, part of me really wishes I could go back to my foalhood days. Things were simpler back then. I didn't have any ponies picking on me, no big sister constantly getting onto me. You know, stuff like that."

Realizing that he was still tightly gripping the photo album, he quickly released it. His stomach growled. "Say, are you hungry?"

"Not really, but, yeah, sure, I could go for something to eat."

He hopped off the bed and motioned for her to follow him. "Come on, let's see what Twilight has in the fridge."

After spending several minutes comforting a bawling Rarity, Twilight and Pinkie Pie decided to spend the day at Twilight's, going over the various scented candles that Twilight's wanted to try out. They walked past Spike and Sweetie Belle, who were busy playing a game of pattycake, and up the stairs to Twilight's bedroom. Lighting some scented candles and pouring themselves some glasses of wine, they decided to have some fun and reminisce about old times.

"Well, Twilight's back," Spike said, getting to his feet. "That must mean the others are back too." He helped Sweetie to her feet. "You wanna hang out?"

The unicorn filly eagerly nodded her head. "Sure!"

"Great! Why don't you wait for me outside? I'll grab us something to drink from the fridge." He watched her go, then walked to the kitchen.

"Spike, are you leaving?" Twilight asked, hearing the fridge being opened.

"Yeah," he replied, heading back into the main room with two bottles of water clutched between his claws.

"Well, while you're out, could you–" She was cut off in mid-sentence by the sound of the front door slamming shut. She sighed and pouted.

After picking up Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, Spike and Sweetie Belle decided to go to the park. They took Scootaloo's ball with them so that they would have something to play with. Standing in the form of an X, facing each other, they bounced the ball back and forth between each other using their heads. They kept count of who could bounce the ball on their head the most. After playing for over an hour, they decided to go ahead and take a break. Spike and Sweetie Belle shared their bottles of water with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. Once they were refreshed, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo decided to head home, declining Spike's offer to walk them home.

Alone with Sweetie Belle, Spike decided to go ahead and walk her home. "I wonder how Rarity's business went," she thought aloud while walking home.

He shrugged. "It would have been nice if I could have went with Twilight today." He smiled and gently petted her mane. "Not that I didn't like spending the day with you, of course."

She blushed. "Thanks." She wrapped a hoof around him and pulled him close for a hug. "You're such a good friend."

"Yeah, I am . . ." He rubbed his neck and looked down in shame, feeling awful for having to go along with Twilight and Rarity's lie to protect her. He wished that he could tell her the truth, but decided not to in order to uphold the promise he'd made to both Twilight and Rarity. He was sure that she would find out the truth eventually, hopefully from Rarity before she heard it from anypony else.

They reached Carousel Boutique and both said their goodbyes before she entered. He watched to make sure that she got inside, then turned and started heading home.

Twilight took a big whiff of the scented candle that she'd just lit. Mmm! Lime green. That certainly made the place smell better. With Spike's adversion to baths, his feet tended to get rather smelly. Leaving the scented candle on the counter, she decided to head upstairs to do some light reading before going to bed.

It had been a fun afternoon for both her and Pinkie Pie, talking about memories past, drinking a few glasses of wine, and enjoying the sweet smells of the scented candles. It had been a great way to unwind after such a depressing day in Canterlot. She just hoped that she and Pinkie Pie could make them a regular thing, simply hanging out and talking with each other.

She jumped when she heard the front door close, which meant that Spike was home.

Spike was reminded of his hunger as he entered the kitchen, remembering that he hadn't eaten since noon. He spotted a pizza box resting on the counter beside a lit candle. He was quickly saddened to see that the box was completely empty. He glared at the candle resting beside him and blew it out. He turned and inspected underneath the box in hopes that there would be a pizza slice underneath.

"Spike, why did you blow that candle out?" Twilight asked, walking in the room. "I like the way it smells."

"Well, I don't," he shot back. He turned and started looking through the cabinets. "I see you had pizza. Did you not leave me anything to eat at all?"

She glowered. "Well, Spike, maybe if you would communicate with me, I might have been able to save you a piece. You never tell me whether you're going to get something to eat while you're out or if you're eating here."

He turned to her, glowering. "Hey, I just asked you a question. You don't have to get smart with me." He closed the cabinet doors in a huff and proceeded to look through the others. "Are you planning on going shopping any time soon?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Spike, you have more time to shop than I do, what with my schedule the way it is."

He gritted his teeth and turned back to her yet again. "Did I offend you by walking in the door or something?"

"I'm just saying that you should stop relying on me to do everything. If you want food, you can use your money to go out and buy some groceries. It's not that hard."

He snorted a laugh. "Well, that's not my job. That's yours."

"You live here too! You're partly responsible!"

He sighed and put both paws on the counter. He lifted his head, making eye contact with her. That was a first this week. "Does it not occur to you that there are two occupants living in this house and both of them need to eat?"

She said nothing. Her expression only hardened.

"Why do you have to make everything so difficult?" he went on.

She gawked at him, mouth agape. "_I'm _making everything difficult? Who takes care of you? Me. Who cleans up after you? Me. Who pays the bills around here? Me."

He nodded. "Which you agreed to do. That's fair." He spread out his arms. "Do you not like this house? Do you not like me being your assitant? Would you like for Owlowiscious to take over?"

"You know the answer to that! Maybe if you would chip in around here instead of lazing around doing nothing, I wouldn't have to get onto you all the time, now, would I?"

He shook his head and went back to looking through the various cabinet doors.

She ranted on, yelling at his back now. She walked a few feet closer to him, glaring and gritting her teeth. "And that's another thing. Anytime I ask you to do something, all you do is complain. Not, 'Yes, Twilight,' or, 'Right away, Twilight.' No, it's, 'Do I really have to?'"

He could feel his anger building. With every word she said, he felt his temper rising higher and higher. Why couldn't she just leave him alone and let him do things in the way that he wanted to do them in? And, Celestia, why in Equestria wouldn't she shut up? All he wanted was a little peace and quiet, that's all. Was that so much to ask for? But, no. She continued to rant on and on, never giving him a moment's peace. He gritted his teeth, feeling his grip on the handles of the cabinet doors becoming tighet as time went on.

"You're a lazy, inconsiderate, ungrateful little turd," she cried.

"Shut up," he screamed, slamming the cabinet doors shut. He spun around and slapped her across the face.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

He advanced towards her, pointing a claw at her. His expression was that of somepony that was insane. "I'm sick of you, you selfish, ungarteful bitch!" He continued to walk towards her, causing her to back up until she felt her rump press up against the wall. He angrily shoved her, knocking her head against the wall.

She rubbed the back of her head to ensure that there was no serious damage done, then she glared down at him. "How dare you!" She reared back a hoof and struck him across the face, knocking him to the floor. "You have got some nerve talking to me like that, little dragon. I don't know who you think you're talking to, but you'd better get over your little attiude problem. I don't know what your problem is, but you'd best get over it, and I mean quick! I don't much appreciate how you've been treating me and talking to me these past several days. I don't know what's gotten into you or where this attiude of yours is coming from, but until you can learn to show me some respect and do as I tell you without bitching about it, you're grounded until I say otherwise. Is that understood?!"

He slowly nodded his head, his eyes wide.

Her expression hardened. "Good. Now go to bed!"

"Yes, ma'am." He got up and walked out of the room.

"Oh, Sweetie Belle, there you are," Rarity chirped as her little sister walked in the room. "How was your day?"

The little filly beamed. "Fun! And yours? How did everything go in Canterlot?"

"Oh, just splendid." She looked over at the clock. "It's rather late. Are you hungry, or did you and Spike eat already?"

Sweetie Belle shook her head. "No, I could eat something."

"Great! The girls and I got something to eat when we got back to Ponyville, so I'm not hungry. What would you like?"

Sweetie thought for a moment or two before coming to her decision. "How 'bout a peanut butter sandwich?"

"With banana slices and some sweet tea?"

Sweetie giggled. "You know me. As a matter of fact, you know me so well that I'd dare say that you could practically be my mother and nopony would know the difference."

Rarity chuckled. "You go ahead and get ready for bed while I make your sandwich. I'd let you do it yourself, but you know how nervous I am about you using knives, especially since you're not very skilled at your magic yet. No offense."

"None taken. A bath sounds simply fabulous at the moment. I'll be upstairs in the bathroom if you need me."

"Don't use all of the hot water. I want to take a hot bath myself, especially after the tiring day I've had."

"You got it, sis."

"Please and thank you." She sighed and went about making Sweetie's sandwich. Though, one sentence from Sweetie Belle wouldn't leave her alone: _"As a matter of fact, you know me so well that I'd dare say that you could practically be my mother and nopony would know the difference." _She supposed that with their parents being dead, she would need to take over as Sweetie's permanent guardian since they didn't have any other relatives to help take care of her. Honestly, she was perfectly okay with taking care of Sweetie Belle, especially with how well their relationship had become over the past week or so.

It was quite bizarre how fast their relationship had changed, seemingly over a single day. They hadn't had a fight since their one regarding Rarity's refusal to go to the Sisterhooves Social. Celestia willing, their relationship stayed the way it was and nothing would happen to upset it.

Except for maybe Rarity telling Sweetie Belle the truth about their dead parents. When she told her little sister about their dead parents, she was sure that this would cause a rift in their relationship, especially if Rarity kept the truth from her for such a long time. She didn't want to. She was just trying to protect her little sister from the harshness of life. Wasn't that what she was supposed to be doing? She'd always seen it as the parents' role to protect their children. Did that mean lying to them to keep from hurting them, or was lying to them doing just as much damage as telling them the truth about the harshness of life? Ugh! It was these kinds of questions that made Rarity's brain hurt. She was at a complete loss as to what to do regarding her situation with Sweetie Belle.

Applejack had helped quite a bit with how she should go about telling Sweetie Belle the truth, but just to be safe, she decided to go ahead and get a second opinion. That was always a good idea. It was because of situations like this why her friends were there for her in the first place, right? Right. She thought about who she should talk to about her discussion. She and Twilight had had a wonderful discussion about what she should do next, but she needed more help with it.

But that would have to wait. Right now, her little sister was hungry and needed her nourishment.

Spike stood outside Twilight's bedroom. He inhaled deeply, puffing out his chest, before exhaling and gently rapping on the threshold that led to the bedroom. "Twilight?" he asked timidly. "Are you in here?" She was lying on her bed, reading a book. She didn't acknowledge him, prompting him to walk in the room. "Listen, I'm sorry I yelled at you." He looked at her, only to find that he was still getting no response from her. "Forgive me?"

She finally looked up at him. She set her book aside and sighed. "Apology accepted. I'm sorry for yelling at you, but you're still grounded." She went back to reading her book.

"Oh, okay. I'll just go and get started on the dishes, if you want."

"If you wouldn't mind."

He nodded and went back downstairs to the kitchen. On his way there, he was stopped by a knock on the door.

"Spike, door," Twilight called.

He rolled his eyes. Did she honestly think that he was deaf? "I got it." He walked over to the door and opened it. He beamed when he saw that it was Rarity at the door. "Hey, Rarity. How are you today?"

"Distressed," she said simply, walking past him.

He closed the door and walked up to her. "What do you want?"

"I want to talk to Twilight."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"You can get Twilight!"

He nodded, taken aback by her sudden emotional outburst. "Okay. You just sit there and I'll go get her." He jogged up the stairs back to Twilight's bedroom. "Twilight?"

Said pony groaned in frustration. "What now, Spike?"

"Rarity wants to talk to you."

She growled, feeling annoyed by Rarity's interruption. All she wanted was to get through the latest chapter of her book. Why was that so hard to do, especially on a Sunday? Rarity should have been at home relaxing. "Fine!" She tossed the book aside and hopped off the bed. She spotted Rarity sitting on her haunches in the middle of the main room as she trotted down the stairs to the first floor. "Rarity?"

The white unicorn turned and brightened up when she saw her friend. "Good afternoon, Twilight."

"What can I do for you?"

"As you know, my parents have recently passed away."

Twilight nodded. "Yes. I'm so sorry."

Rarity smiled. "Thank you. I haven't exactly told Sweetie Belle yet. I'm really confused about what I should do. Should I tell her or should I not tell her? I don't want to tell her for fear that I'll just end up hurting her, but I do want to tell her because I don't want to be dishonest. Oh, what do I do?!"

Twilight frowned, noticing how distraught Rarity was over the situation. "I'm sorry, Rarity, but I'm not entirely sure what you should do. I've never really been through this type of thing before."

"When I was little and one of my favorite aunts died, my parents didn't tell me that she was dead," Rarity said. "They told me something silly like, 'She's up in heaven' or, 'She's in a better place,' or some nonsense like that. I understand why they were lying to me, but that didn't make the pain any easier to deal with."

Twilight nodded. "That's right. I understand that you want to protect your little sister, but you have to tell her the truth, no matter how hard it is. Remember what Applejack always says? 'Honesty is the best policy.' Yes, she will probably have a hard time dealing with the pain, but that's why you're there, right?"

"That's another thing. What if somepony writes a letter to social services and they start investigating whether or not I'm a good parent?" Her eyes brimmed with tears. "I don't want my little sister to be taken away from me!"

Twilight grabbed her and enveloped her in a big hug. "Rarity, you worry too much." She pulled away from the white mare. "You know as much as I do that nopony would ever do that, especially not here in Ponyville. They would only do that if they were concerned about Sweetie's well-being."

Rarity sniffled and wiped at her eyes with a hoof. "I'm just really worried right now." She collapsed to the floor and held her head in her hooves. "Oh, I'm so confused right now. I don't know what I should do about Sweetie and telling her the truth and what I should do if social services starts making visits to my house!" She let out a small whimper.

Twilight helped her to her hooves. "As long as you're doing your best, who cares? In the end, that's all you can do, right?"

Rarity weakly nodded. "I suppose so."

Both ponies jumped as somepony suddenly walked through the front door.

"Hey, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said. "Just came over to drop off this book." She set the book on a nearby table. Suddenly taking notice of Rarity, her face fell and she attempted a heartfelt smile. "Hey, Rares. What's up?"

"Oh, nothing," Rarity said sadly. "I'm just facing the fact that my parents are dead and I'll soon be losing my baby sister as well."

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash looked over at Twilight for clarification.

"She's really stressed right now, Rainbow," Twilight elaborated. "She's worried that Sweetie Belle is going to be taken away from her by social services."

Rainbow Dash sputtered her lips. "Pfft! What are you worried about? I've seen you two. You guys get along like me and Scootaloo!" She lightly punched Rarity in the side. "Trust me. You've got nothing to worry about. Just do your best and you'll be fine."

"That's exactly what I told her," Twilight said.

"But what if my best isn't good enough?" Rarity asked, pouting. "What if I do do my best and Sweetie is still taken away?" She buried her face in her hooves. "I just don't think I could handle that, especially not after losing my parents."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "That's just it. You're still in shock over the revelation that your parents are dead. You should really go somewhere to get your head cleared. Go take a vacation to Manehattan or go watch a play or something, anything to get your mind off what's happening right now. If you do, then maybe you'll be able to come up with a solution to your problem. Trying to tackle all of these problems at once is going to put too much stress on you. Tackle one problem at a time."

"But what about Sweetie Belle? What am I going to do with her if I end up going on vacation? I wouldn't feel right having a good time in Manehattan while she's stuck here in Ponyville."

"Well," Twilight suggested, "I would say that she could stay with me and Spike, but she probably wouldn't have a good time since Spike's grounded, so the two of them wouldn't be able to do anything."

"Why?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Why what?" Twilight inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Why is Spike grounded?"

"It's a long story that I'd rather not go into." She turned back to Rarity. "Anyway, I'm sure Applejack wouldn't mind her sleeping over with Apple Bloom for a few days. I would suggest she stay with Rainbow Dash, but the cloud-walking spell only lasts a few hours." She leaned in close to Rarity and whispered, "And between you and me, I don't really trust Rainbow Dash around kids. She's got quite a temper, haven't you noticed?" She giggled along with Rarity.

"Hey," Rainbow Dash said, raising an eyebrow, "what are you guys saying about me?"

"Nothing, nothing," Twilight said. She cleared her throat. "So what do you say, Rarity?"

"Hmm, I like the idea, but, still, I don't know if I'd be able to enjoy myself if Sweetie Belle wasn't with me. I don't know if you've noticed, but we've become rather close over the past week or so." She smiled.

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Yeah, Applejack told me all about it. I'm not much for all that sappy stuff, but it is kind of sweet how close you two have become."

"I agree," Twilight said. "You two have become so close lately that nopony would ever know that you two used to be at each other's throats all the time."

Rarity blushed. "Yes, well, let's not do anything to remind us of that, shall we?"

"I'm sure Sweetie Belle will be fine staying at Applejack's," Twilight went on. "She'll be okay. You shouldn't worry so much. You know as well as I do that Applejack will take god care of her. A vacation is just what you need to clear your head, figure things out."

"But what if I don't figure everything out?" Rarity pouted. "What if I'm still confused about a few things."

"That's totally fine," Twilight reassured her. "You're not going to have all the answers all at once. Some things will come to you more clearly than other things. You just need to relax and approach this stuff in a logical, rational manner. Take your time. There's no rush."

Rarity sighed and finally gave both Twilight and Rainbow Dash a nod of confirmation. "Okay. I'll go, but you'll be sure to let me know what's going on with Sweetie Belle, won't you?"

"Of course," Twilight replied.

"Thank you. Well, I . . . I guess I better go pack, huh?"

"What are you going to tell Sweetie Belle?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'll . . . just tell her that I need some time alone. That should work, shouldn't it?"

"What do you mean you're going to Canterlot?" Sweetie Belle asked. "What about me?"

"You'll be staying over at Applejack's," Rarity said, her head still buried in the closet. Various garments were tossed out, most of which landed either in Rarity's suitcase or on her bed. She backed out of the closet and beamed at Sweetie Belle. "Won't that be fun?"

"No!" The litle filly stomped her hoof in anger. "Why can't I go? Why do you always get to go on all these trips while I'm the one who gets left behind?"

"Sweetie Belle, I told you, this is a business trip." She walked past her little sister to examine a garment that was on display on one of the ponnequins. "You wouldn't be interested."

"But you just got back from a business trip _yesterday_!"

Rarity's eyes widened. "Oh, did I?" She looked back at Sweetie Belle.

"Yes!"

"Oh, well, some urgent business has come up and–"

"Ugh! Forget it!" Sweetie stomped off in a huff.

Rarity watched her go. "Sweetie Belle? Can't we talk about it?" She went ahead and finished packing before checking on Sweetie Belle. When she walked in, Sweetie was already tucked in bed, facing away from her bedroom door. She sat down on the edge of Sweetie's bed and sighed heavily. Reaching back, she genlty rubbed Sweetie's back. "It's not that I don't want to spend time with you, Sweetums. It's just that I don't think you'd find these business trips of mine particularly interesting. Do you understand?"

Sweetie sighed, not moving. "I guess."

"Wouldn't it be more fun to spend time with Apple Bloom than sitting around being bored while I go about my business?"

"I guess."

"That's the spirit!" She gleefully struck the air with her hoof, beaming. "That's my big filly." She brought the covers up to Sweetie's neck, then leaned down and pecked Sweetie on the head. "Sweet dreams, my big filly. I love you."

"I love you, too. Good night. Have fun in Canterlot."

"I will. It's not like you'll be completely away from me. Twilight will be sure to keep in touch with me so that you can tell me all that you've been up to. Besides, it's only for two weeks."

Sweetie shot up, looking stunned. "Two weeks?!"

Rarity cringed. "I know it seems like a long time, but, trust me, it'll fly by, especially with all the fun you'll be having with your friends. Just keep yourself busy and the time should go by faster than you'd think."

Sweetie nodded. "All right. You'll be sure to write to me, won't you?"

"Of course, Sweetie Belle." She suddenly gasped and her face lit up. "Idea!"

"What?"

"Oh, it's nothing that concerns you, Sweetie. You just go to sleep. Before you leave tomorrow, have your things packed."

"Okay. I'll see you in the morning, then."

"Bright and early." She once again gave Sweetie a kiss on the forehead before walking out of the bedroom.

Sighing, Sweetie Belle rolled over onto her side and prepared to go to sleep.

Sweetie awoke the following morning feeling a bit sad, yet cheerful at the same time. While her sister might have been leaving for Canterlot for two weeks, she at least got to spend time with one of her best friends. That was better than having to stay at home all by herself being bored out of her ever-loving mind.

The two sisters didn't talk much throughout breakfast. Just as before, Rarity promised that she and Swetie Belle could stay in touch via letters and promised that Sweetie was going to have a wonderful time while at the Apples. Sweetie didn't deny that fact. Though, she still wished that she would have been permitted to join Rarity on her trip, even if just to be beside her despite the fact that it was strictly a business trip.

After eating breakfast and making sure that they had all of their things packed, they headed to the train station to meet Applejack, who would walk Sweetie to her temporary home. Rarity and Applejack chatted over a mug of coffee while Sweetie Belle was busy reading one of the books that she had packed with her.

"Train to Canterlot, all aboard," the conductor bellowed.

Both sisters looked at each other tearfully, then embraced. Sweetie Belle nuzzled Rarity's neck. It felt like an eternity as they clinged to each other, but they eventually pulled away.

"Don't worry," Rarity reassured Sweetie, running a hoof through her two-toned mane. "Those two weeks will go by fast, you'll see." She swallowed hard when she saw Sweetie quiver her lower lip, on the verge of tears. "Oh, Sweetie, don't give me that look. Please?" She hugged her little sister yet again. "Come on, now. You'll have fun at Applejack's and the two of us will be able to stay in touch through letters."

Sweetie shook her head when Rarity pulled away from her. "It's not the same, though. It's different when we're actually talking face-to-face."

Rarity nodded. "I know." She jumped and looked behind her when she heard the train whistle. She looked back down at Sweetie Belle. "Listen, I really must be going. Be good for the Apples and stay out of mischief." She quickly bent down and pecked Sweetie on the forehead before turning and boarding the train.

Sweetie Belle sighed, watching as the train began to pull away from the station. A part of her might as well have been aboard that rain. She was amazed at how close she and her sister had become over the past week.

She turned to see Applejack loading her luggage into a cart that she'd brought with her. The orange mare strapped the belt around her middle and smiled at the little filly. "Well, let's get a move on, Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom's really eager to meet ya." She started walking forward, with Sweetie sullenly walking behind her.

"So y'all be staying in the guest bedroom," Applejack stated as she walked Sweetie Belle throughout the Apple home. She stopped at said room and pushed open the door to give the little filly a glance inside. She watched Sweetie walk in and look around. "Make yerrself at home. Dinner's served at six. Speaking of which, is there anythin' special y'all want fer dinner?"

"No," Sweetie Belle said sadly, looking down. It was so low in tone that Applejack had to strain her ears just to hear her properly.

A worried look crossed over Applejack's face. Had Rarity told Sweetie Belle about their dead parents? Maybe that was why Sweetie was acting so off. The filly wasn't acting like her usual self. No, that couldn't be it. Otherwise, Rarity would have taken Sweetie with her. Then again, for all Applejack knew, Rarity really did have business to attend to in Canterlot. She walked up to Sweetie and playfully nudged her chin as she said, "Aw, buck up, sugarcube. Yer sister's only gonna be gone for a coupla weeks. Y'all have lots of Crusadin' to do while yer here. That oughta take yer mind off-a things."

Sweetie nodded, though her depressed expression remained. "I suppose so." She sighed and glanced over at her bed. "It's going to take me a while to get used to living here."

Applejack chuckled. 'I know what ya mean, sugarcube. Nothin's as good as yer own bed, huh?"

Sweetie said nothing.

"Ah'll be downstairs if ya need anythin'," Applejack went on, heading out of the room. "Apple Bloom's in 'er room if ya want to play with 'er." She waited for Sweetie to respond. When she didn't, she started to leave.

"Applejack?"

The mare backed up and turned to Sweetie. "Yes?"

For the first time since Rarity had left, Sweetie smiled. "Thanks for taking me in."

Applejack grinned and ruffled the filly's mane. "Aw, don't think nothin' of it, sugarcube. That's what family members do for each other, right?"

Sweetie gave the mare a confused look. "You and me are family members?"

"Of course. Yer Apple Bloom's friend, and that makes you a part of the family. Didn't anypony ever tell ya that yer friends were an extension of yer family?"

Sweetie shook her head. "No. I . . . I guess I never thought of it that way."

"Just remember, if ya ever need anythin', Ah'm right down the hall. Or, if Ah'm not available, y'all can always go see Big Mac or Granny Smith."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks again."

"No problem, sugarcube." She walked down the hall.

Sweetie waited until Applejack was out of sight before stepping out of her room and walking down the hall to Apple Bloom's room.

For the next few days, Sweetie Belle didn't receive a letter from Rarity. The filly wasn't too bothered by this. She figured that Rarity was busy getting settled in and getting everything squared away. It was on a Monday morning that Sweetie received her first letter from Rarity.

The Apple family and Sweetie Belle were seated at the kitchen table, preparing to eat breakfast when Apple Bloom announced, "The mail's here!" Everpony turned to see Derpy flying towards their kitchen window. The gray pegasus slammed against the side of the window that wasn't open. She moved backwards, rubbing her now sore head.

"She's gonna get a concussion doin' that," Applejack muttered, motioning for Derpy to enter the home through the side of the window that was opened.

"You okay, Derpy?" Apple Bloom asked.

The pegasus nodded. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. If I had a bit for every time that happened, I'd," she thought for a moment, "have a whole bunch of bits." She giggled. "Anyway, here's your mail." She dug into her bag and pulled out a series of envelopes.

Applejack inspected them. "Uh, Derpy, these are all addressed to Lya and Bon Bon."

Derpy facehoofed and growled in frustration. "Ugh! Not again!" She stuffed the envelopes back in her bag and began looking for any envelopes that were addressed to the Apple family. "I really should get an organizer for this thing or something." She pulled out another series of envelopes and, after checking them, gave them to Applejack. Turning, she spotted Sweetie Belle and sighed in relief. "Oh, good! You're here, too. That means I don't have to fly all the way to Carousel Boutique. This is for you." She gave the filly an envelope.

Sweetie's face lit up when she discovered the fancy cursive writing on the front that said, "To Sweetie Belle." She squealed, "It's from Rarity," and proceeded to tear open the envelope to read her sister's letter.

"I'd better be going," Derpy suggested. She turned to fly out the window, but ended up slamming herself against the wall. "Ow!" She rubbed her head once again and flew out the window once she'd gotten her direction figured out.

"Best read that in the living room, dear," Granny Smith suggested to Sweetie Belle. "Not too polite to be readin' at the table."

Sweetie Belle shrugged. "Hmm, okay." She hopped off the chair and headed to the living room, carrying the letter in her mouth. Once she'd gotten herself situated on the couch, she unfolded the piece of paper and began reading.

_Dear Sweetie Belle, _

_This is probably the hardest thing I will ever have to do. For quite some time, I debated with myself as to whether or not I should even bother writing you this letter, hence why you haven't received a letter from me for the past few days. I apologize if I have caused you any worry or stress. Know that I am perfectly fine here in Canterlot. Everything is going swimmingly. _

_I . . . I'm not entirely sure how to go about doing this. Whether I should be bruttaly honest or whether I should try to soften the blow, I don't know. I suppose nothing can prepare you for what you are about to read, so I suppose subtlety is out of the question. So, here it goes . . . _

_Do you remember that vision of yours you had not too long ago, the vision about Mother and Father and you on vacation and their carriage going over a cliff? Well, it came true. Yes, I'm afraid Mother and Father are dead. Again, I apologize for being bruttaly honest. The funeral has come and gone. I apologize for not taking you, but I wanted to spare you the pain of having to attend your parents' own funeral. Know that it wasn't an easy decision for me to make. I was just trying to protect you. _

_You have every right to be upset with me, darling. I wouldn't be surprised if you refuse to talk to me for a long time. Stay mad at me all you want. I understand. I hope you know that I love you very, very much. I hope we can work together to make it through this ordeal as easily as possible. I'm willing to try anything to help you. Believe me, I would have liked to have told you this in person, but I just couldn't bring myself to do so. I hope in time you can forgive me for putting you thorugh this. I thought I was only doing what was best for you, but now I see that either way, I couldn't spare you from the pai and hurt that you'll inevitably go through. Remember that I am here for you. When you are ready to talk about this, I'm all ears. _

_I'm sorry for not belieivng you before. Please forgive me for that too. This experience has taught me to take your concerns seriously and not just brush them off as mere tall tales. _

_I love you more than you could ever know. _

_Love from your dearest sister, _

_Rarity _

Sweetie's eyes widened. She put a hoof to her chest. Why did her chest hurt so much? Why was she having such a hard time breathing and why did her lungs feel like somepony was squeezing the oxygen out of them? She raised a hoof up to her forehead to wipe away some sweat from her brow. The temperature in the room seemed to have skyrocketed. She was burning up. She looked back down at the letter she held in her other hoof, which was trembling something fierce. She dropped the letter when she got off the couch, once again putting a hoof to her chest. Her heart was pounding away.

She looked around, trying to find her way back to the kitchen, but it was hard to see due to her eyes watering and all of the sweat that was dripping down her body. She began walking forward, using her free hoof to feel around. She stopped when she felt the frame of the threshold to the kitchen.

"Sweetie Belle?" she heard somepony call. She couldn't see who it was; her vision was too blurry by this point. She lost her balance and collapsed to the floor.

"Sweetie Belle!"

She felt somepony cradling her in their hooves. Looking up, she attempted to make out the face of the figure holding her, but it was no use. She was practically blind by this point.

"What's wrong, sugarcube?"

The figure holding her had to be Applejack. Breathlessly, she spoke in between pants, "I . . . I . . . can't . . . can't breathe." She wheezed. It was getting harder and harder to breathe properly. "My . . . my chest . . . hurts. Get . . . get . . . get me . . . to the . . . to the hospital."

"What do you mean, sugarcube?"

"I think I . . . I think I'm . . . having . . . having a heart attack. Get . . . get me to . . . to the . . . to the hospital." She blacked out after that.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Rarity burst through the hospital doors and up to the receptionist. "Where's my sister?" She grabbed the receptionist and shook her. "Where's my sister, damn you?!"

"Miss Rarity, please calm down," a voice said.

Rarity turned to see Dr. Stable staring at her. She ran up to him and demanded, "Where is my sister?"

Dr. Stable gently pushed her away and adjusted his glasses. "She's perfectly fine, Miss Rarity. She's in Room 2B. You're more than welcome to go see if you'd–" He was cut off when Rarity zoomed down the corridor. "Like."

Applejack and Apple Bloom were in the room when Rarity walked in. The unicorn walked up to the bed that Sweetie was laying in and gently petted her mane. "Are you okay, Sweetums?"

Sweetie glared at her and turned her back to her as she rolled over onto her side.

"Yeah, she's fine," Applejack said.

Rarity sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness." She turned when she heard hoofsteps approaching, just in time to see Dr. Stable appear. "What happened?"

"Nothing more than a panic attack, Miss Rarity," Dr. Stable stated.

"A panic attack?" Rarity cried.

"Sweetie Belle thought she was having a heart attack," Applejack stated.

"A heart attack?" Rarity asked.

"A panic attack?" Sweetie asked. "That's it?" She flopped down on her pillows, growling in anger. "Ugh! I'm such an idiot!"

"No, you're not," Dr. Stable said gently. "The symptoms of a heart attack and a panic attack are very much alike. I have several patients who come in here on a weekly basis suffering from a panic attack that they think is a heart attack." He ran a hoof through her mane. "You'll be fine. If it happens more than twice, then we may have a problem."

"What do you mean?" Rarity asked.

"Well, it's uncommon to happen again, but if she has more than one panic attack, we'll have to test her for anxiety disorder," Dr. Stable stated.

Rarity squeaked in fright.

"But, like I said," Dr. Stable said, "it's not likely to happen again."

"Did you find out what caused the panic attack?" Rarity asked.

Dr. Stable nodded. "Yes. It seems the attack was sparked by a letter she was reading."

"Oh," Rarity replied.

"It's not uncommon. Panic attacks are oftentimes triggered by life-changing events, such as graduation, the loss of a loved one, or something along those lines."

"We . . . have had a death in the family," Rarity stated. "Two, actually."

"That was probably the cause of it, then," Dr. Stable said. "According to Sweetie Belle, the letter was from you and you pretty much told her that her parents had passed away."

Rarity slowly nodded, looking down. "Yes, that's true."

Dr. Stable levitated a card from one of the pockets of his uniform and hovered it before Rarity's eyes. "Here's the address of a family therapist. I'd recommend him if you're ever in need of some therapy to help you two. And I'm sorry for your loss."

Rarity smiled, tucking the card behind her ear with her magic. "Thank you, doctor." She looked over at Sweetie Belle. "How long will she have to stay here?"

"She'll be able to leave by tonight," Dr. Stable replied.

"Yes," Sweetie cheered, pumping her hoof in the air.

"If it's all right with you, Applejack," Rarity said, "I'll take Sweetie Belle home."

"But I thought you had business in Canterlot," Applejack stated.

Rarity shook her head. "Never mind that. My sister is more important."

"Are you sure?"

Rarity nodded her head firmly. "I'm positive."

Spike let out a loud groan. There was no doubt about it. He was exhausted. It had been a long day of running errands all over Ponyville with Twilight. Nevertheless, it had been fun. He always enjoyed their little outings. They were much better than simply staying cooped up in the house all day. He didn't see how Fluttershy did it, staying inside all day taking care of her animal friends.

He climbed in bed, bringing the covers up to his neck as he rested his head on his pillow. He heard Twilight's bed creak when she got in it and heard her wish him a good night's sleep. He returned the favor. Twilight stayed up doing some reading and eventually shut off the lights, but by then Spike was already fast asleep.

He awoke the following morning to an odd sensation. His body was warm, thanks in part to his blanket, but his neither regions were chilly. And also . . . wet? His curiosity got the better of him and he lifted his blanket, moving his body to the side to get a good look at what was wrong. There was a damp place where his neither regions had been. Had he wet the bed? Just to be sure, he took a sniff of the damp spot and nodded his head in confirmation. Yep. That was definitely urine he smelled.

Boy, this was embarrassing. He looked up to see that Twilight was still fast asleep, but she would be up any moment. What was he going to do? If Twilight caught him with his sheets like this, that would just give her something else to complain about, adding fuel to the fire. He had to think fast about a possible solution to his problem. He thought about maybe going to Rarity's to wash the blanket, but he didn't want Twilight waking up and wondering where he was. He would have to think of something different.

He made his way over to the closet where Twilight had several different blankets stored away for when they had guests over. He grabbed a spare blue blanket and threw it over the basket. He used two blankets when sleeping–one for comfort and the other one for warmth. He took the soiled blanket and hid it underneath Twilight's bed. He could always wash it later. Right now, he needed to get himself cleaned up.

On his way to the bathroom, he felt a sneeze coming on and he quickly brought his arm over his mouth to silence it from Twilight. He knew that she hated getting woken up early in the mornings. The mare liked to get at least nine hours of sleep, if not eight. He hoped he wasn't getting sick.

He figured now would be as good a time as any to take a bath, if only to get the smell of urine off him. He was surprised that Twilight was still sleeping by the time he stepped out of the tub and dried himself off. Throwing the towel in the hamper, he figured he might as well get breakfast started. He figured he'd try cooking a couple of omelets for the two of them to enjoy, thinking that maybe a change of food would do them both some good.

Twilight was just getting up as he was preparing their drinks. For him, orange juice. For her, a steaming hot mug of joe. "Good morning, Twilight," he greeted her warmly as he walked across the room and set the two beverages in front of their respective plates.

She gave him a nod. "Morning, Spike." She levitated two cushions over to them and sat down on top of hers as he did the same. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine," he said quickly. "Just fine."

She blinked, giving him an awkward look. "Um . . . okay."

"Any plans for today?" He cut off a piece of his omelet and popped it in his mouth.

She thought for a moment, cutting up her omelet using a fork and knife with her magic. "Hmm, Pinkie Pie wants me to come over to Sugarcube Corner to test out a few cupcakes, especially after the last time she let Applejack help her."

Spike chuckled at the memory. "As far as I'm concerned, it was Pinkie Pie's fault. She should have been paying attention to what Applejack was putting in the bowl." He took a sip of his juice.

"Now remember, you're grounded. That means no leaving the library. If you get all of your chores done, you can have the rest of the day off."

"What if . . . I would need to leave the library?" Mentally, he was thinking about his soaked blanket that was still hidden underneath Twilight's bed.

She put her hooves together and leaned forward, giving him an odd look as she rested her forelegs on the table. "Why would you need to leave the library, Spike?"

He began sweating. "Oh, you know. What if somepony needs my help with something?"

"I highly doubt that's going to happen." She did a quick once-over of him, raising an eyebrow in confusion in the process. "Hey, are you okay? Did you do something you weren't supposed to?"

"No!" He shook his head.

"So why are you sweating so much?"

"Oh, no reason."

"Is it too warm in here?"

"No, the temperature's fine." He began fidgeting in his seat.

"Spike, what's wrong? You can tell me."

He suddenly leaped up out of his chair and began pushing her towards the front door. "Well, look at the time. You'd better start heading over to Sugarcube Corner before you're late."

"But, Spike–"

"Have fun!" He slammed the door. He let out a sigh of relief and wiped some sweat from his brow, sliding down the length of the door until he was in a sitting position, his knees drawn up to his chest. He was bent forward when the door was opened.

"Remember, if you ever want to talk, I'm here," Twilight said.

"That's great, Twilight. See you later!" Once he was sure she was gone, he got up and started sweeping the floor.

Throughout the day, he pondered over and over again what he could do about his current situation. He couldn't just keep changing the sheets every morning. Eventually, he would run out. He would need to find some way of being able to wash them without Twilight knowing. Unfortunately, they didn't have a washboard or a tub to wash the sheets in. To his knowledge, Rarity was the only one who had a means of washing clothes, given that she was a fashion designer and all. But he would never be able to go over there to wash his sheets without either Twilight or Rarity wanting to know what he was up to, and he couldn't possibly tell them the truth. It was just too embarrassing. He could never let anypony know about his embarrassing secret. Hopefully it was just a one-time thing and wouldn't be something that would be repeated. If he was lucky, this would just be something that occurred every now and then.

Another worry struck him: What if Twilight discovered his wet blanket under her bed? He shook his head as this idea struck him. It wasn't likely, as Twilight kept the space underneath her bed so clean that she had no need to look under it. Still, there was the off-chance that she would decide to schedule a cleaning day and clean the library from top to bottom, just in case he managed to miss something.

Twilight didn't get back home until late in the afternoon. By this time, Spike had completely finished cleaning the library and making sure everything was properly organized. He lied in bed, reading a book when Twilight ascended the stairs. He momentarily looked up from his book, only to see Twilight covered from horn to tail in batter. He couldn't help himself and burst into laughter, rolling out of his basket.

Twilight sneered at him. "Blame it on Pinkie Pie. She set the mixer too high."

"Want some help cleaning up?"

Befoer she could answer him, Spike leaped on top of her and began licking away at her batter-covered mane. She laughed hysterically and squirmed, attempting to push him off her, but to no avail. He licked all over her body, starting at her head and going down to her hind hooves. Though muffled due to his licking, he laughed along with her. Both of them were panting by the time he was done. He wiped his mouth off on his arm and smiled at his work.

She rolled over onto her stomach and raised her rump in the air, revealing that a thick layer of batter still covered it, along with her neither regions. "Looks like you missed a spot, Spike."

He shook his head, laughing. "Uh-uh! No way! You can take a shower if you want that stuff off. I'm not putting my tongue anywhere near your butt. Sorry."

She chuckled. "Far enough. It's a shame I'm not more flexible, or I'd do it myself."

He cringed. "I didn't need to know that."

"Why don't you go to bed? I'll be in the bathroom if you need me."

He yawned and stretched. "Sounds good to me." He smacked his lips and scratched at his lower back as he crawled into bed. He pulled the blanket up to his chin, sighing happily as he drifted off to sleep.

As his bed wetting grew increasingly worse and worse, Spike quickly realized that he simply couldn't keep changing the sheets. Eventually Twilight was going to notice something was up when she felt a very large lump in her bed from the numerous blankets that he'd been piling up under her bed. He still needed to wash those, he realized.

After some thinking, he figured that the best thing to do would be to go to Rarity's early in the morning and wash his sheets there. He just hoped that Rarity wouldn't mind. He made a mental note to leave Twilight a note so that she would know where he was. He simply jotted down that he was at Rarity's, leaving out exactly why he was there. He thought that Twilight could just let her imagination go to work about why he was there in the first place.

While Rarity was irritated at the fact that Spike was knocking at her front door so early in the morning, she allowed him to wash his sheets in her laundry room. Luckily, she didn't ask him why they needed washing. She probably just figured that it was a routine washing. After all, she washed her bed sheets on a weekly basis. While she went back to bed, he ventured to her laundry room to wash his wet sheets. He did his best to keep quiet, not wanting to wake Rarity or Sweetie Belle. Though, this was hard to do with Opal constantly screeching at him and attempting to claw his face off. Obviously, she didn't take too kindly to strangers. This forced him to carry her out of the room–at arm's length–and lock the door to the laundry room to keep her from getting inside and disturbing him from his work.

His plan worked out swimmingly throughout the next few weeks. He was grateful that Twilight didn't have too much of a problem with him going to Rarity's every morning, though she was curious as to why. She never pressured him to tell, thank goodness. What made his mornings at Rarity's all the more enjoyable was the fact that he got the chance to talk to Sweetie Belle. He had never taken her to be an early riser, but he was glad that she was. While her older sister liked to sleep in, Sweetie Belle seemed to enjoy talking to him. It made the work go by faster and made it more enjoyable, less grating. They talked about a variety of subjects, though he was careful to avoid the topic of her parents, completely unaware of the fact that she already kenw. Even if he was aware of the fact, he still would have avoided it anyway, knowing that the death of a loved one was a very sensitive topic for anypony.

He took quick notice of the fact that she was having trouble concentrating on the conversation. Oftentimes, he would need to actually shout at her in order to get her to respond to something that he had said. He never showed any anger or annoyance at her drifting off from their conversation. This prompted him to think that maybe she did know about her dead parents and that was why she was having such a hard time concentrating on what they were talking about. He eventually tried to keep their conversations as simple as possible, not wanting to hurt her feelings from him yelling at her to get her attention.

Unbeknownst to Spike or anypony else, Sweetie Belle was having an extremely hard time coming to terms about the death of her parents. In her bedroom, she paced back and forth, her face in a scowl, concentrating hard. Why was this so confusing, so hard? It shouldn't have been this hard to figure out how she felt about her parents dying. She supposd that she was feeling guilt due to not being able to save her parents. She could have gone with them in order to save them, yet she sayed behind with Rarity to save her own hide. Ugh! What was wrong with her?! Some loving daughter she turned out to be!

She continued to pace back and forth, wondering what to do. She figured that she could talk to Rarity about her feelings, but right now her sister was busy working on an outfit for a client. Talking to Rarity was out of the question, being that she was still plenty pissed off at her older sister for lying to her. Everypony else she could think of was busy. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash were all busy working. Fluttershy lived too far away for her to go out and talk to her. Twilight was probably busy with her studies, and Spike was more than likely busy with running an errand or cleaning the library. There was nopony she could talk to at the moment, at least not right now.

She groaned in frustration and began slamming her head against her bed, letting out loud grunts of irritation. What in Equestria was she supposed to do? She continued to slam her head against her bed until she finally stopped, feeling woozy. The room spun around. She stumbled, falling over onto her side while her head ached and her stomach churned. Great. Now on top of a headache, she now felt nauseous. Was that normal? Did ponies who went through the death of a loved one usually feel this sick? She shook her head. All of these feelings were so confusing!

Her stomach growled, thankfully taking her mind off her feelings, for the time being. Grateful for a distraction, she hopped down from her bed and went downstairs to the kitchen to find something to eat. She found a couple of delicious goodies: a couple of bananas, a large quantity of grapes. Now that she was really inspecting Rarity's fridge, she noticed that her sister seemed to be a rather large fan of fruits. Funny, there didn't seem to be that many vegetables. There were some, but not too many. She found no interest in the vegetables, but grabbed a few bananas and some grapes. Seating herself at the kitchen table, she proceeded to dig in.

"Spike, I thought I told you to get up," Twilight scolded, glaring down at the dragon's basket. "You should have had breakfast prepared over an hour ago."

The dragon merely groaned in protest and rolled over onto his other side, pulling the blanket up to his neck. He shivered as the blanket was pulled off him, and he felt around for it. Unable to feel it, he rolled over onto his back and opened his eyes. He felt groggy. He sat up, but immediately lied back down when this only made his headache all the worse.

Twilight inspected him closely. Her irritated expression softened. "What's the matter? Are you sick?" She felt his forehead. "Ooh, jeez. You're burning up. You know what? Never mind. You can go ahead and go back to sleep. I'll go into town and get you some medicine and orange juice."

Though feeling ill, he smiled, thankful for an excuse to have the day off. "Thanks, Twilight." Sighing, he decided to go back to sleep.

For the next couple of days, Spike remained in bed while Twilight tended to his every need. She even allowed him to sleep in her bed, feeling that he needed as much comfort as possible. She seemed to understand that his basket wasn't all that comfortable. She would sleep with him when she went to bed. As he slept in her bed, he finally understood why Twilight was sometimes hard to get out of bed in the mornings. Her bed was unbelievably comfy, so much so that he wouldn't have minded staying in it even after he got well again.

His friends took time out of their day to visit him to wish him a speedy recovery once they'd learned that he was feeling a little under the weather. Even the CMC came to visit him, presenting him with a large, crudely decorated "get well soon" card. Even so, it was the thought that counted.

When she wasn't busy studying, Twilight was busy taking care of Spike. She gave him at least two pills every four hours with a glass of water. She advised him to eat some soup and drink plenty of fluids, knowing that this would help speed up the healing process. Knowing that he was bound to get bored while lying in bed all day doing nothing, she would oftentimes read to him from the various selection of children's books that the library owned. The stories enchanted him, filling his dreams with fantastical adventures of daring rescue missions, romance, and thrilling action scenes. If he was having trouble sleeping, she would read to him, thus luring him to sleep.

Throughout his whole illness, Spike quickly learned just how much he enjoyed having Twilight wait on him instead of him waiting on her. Sure, as her number one assistant, that was his job, but even so, it was nice to have it the other way around for a change. Though, he made sure to not let it go to his head to the point where he was bossing Twilight around like she often did him. That would just be mean of him since he hated it when she did the same thing to him.

Twilight seemed to be doing some thinking herself, he realized. Anytime he looked at her when she wasn't studying or taking care of him, she was either staring off into space, staring out the window, or pacing back and forth, muttering to herself. He finally learned what she'd been thinking about when she seated herself in front of him, looking quite serious.

"I've recently come upon a revelation, Spike," she said. "You see, taking care of you these past few days has made me learn that maybe I should start treating you better. You're my number one assistant, and sometimes I take advantage of that." She paused and gave him a curious look. "Do you feel like sometimes I take advantage of you?"

He looked down, fumbling with the sheets. "Sometimes."

She sighed. "Spike, why didn't you tell me? Is that what's been bothering you? Is that you flew off the handle the other night?"

He shook his head. "No, it's not that. It's just . . . sometimes I feel like you don't have any consideration for me. Like the other night, you could have saved me a couple of pieces of pizza, you know."

She nodded. "Yes, but you could have told me whether or not you were getting something while you were out" She shook her head. "Then again, I suppose I haven't exactly given you a written invitation to talk to me, what, with my studying and your being busy with cleaning. Maybe we should try communicating more, that way we're not at each other's throats all of the time."

"I'd like that."

"It's a deal, then." She thrust her hoof forward.

"Deal." He shook her hoof.

"Good. I'm glad that's settled. Now, why don't you go back to sleep? You need to get as much sleep as you can."

"I hear you, Twilight." He lied back down.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Darling, are you absolutely sure that you're ready to go back to school?" Rarity asked. She gave Sweetie Belle a worried look.

Sweetie said nothing and headed for the door.

"Well, all right, if you're sure," Rarity said. "But if you want to come back home or if you're just having trouble concentrating on getting your work done, tell Miss Cheerilee and she'll let me know." She watched Sweetie Belle dash off. "Be careful!" Once Sweetie was out of sight, she turned to set to work on filling orders.

"Good morning, class," Miss Cheerilee said happily. "I hope you all had a wonderful spring break. I expect you to turn in your reports and put them on my desk so I can grade them at the end of the day."

Sweetie gasped. Oh, crap! She had completely forgotten all about that report. What was she supposed to do now? If she didn't turn in her report, she would get a failing grade on it. Perhaps, given the curent circumstances, Miss Cheerilee would give her an extension on the report, but she didn't know what she would write about. She hadn't exactly done much over her spring break besides sitting around the Boutique moping.

It was just like any other school day. They went over their multiplication tables and did some other math-related problems on the board before moving onto different subjects, such as reading. Sweetie Belle tended to like this period of time best since it allowed her to relax and get lost in a thrilling action-adventure _Daring Do _novel. Ordinarily, she would have been fixated on the lesson, but as the day wore on, she found it harder and harder to concentrate on what Miss Cheerilee was talking about. Her mind tended to wander, to the point where she completely muted her teacher out. It wasn't until she heard Miss Cheerilee loudly calling her name that she came back to earth.

"Huh?" She looked around, only to find nopony but Miss Cheerilee staring at her. "Is the day over yet?"

Miss Cheerilee shook her head. "No, it's time for lunch and recess." She suddenly gave Sweetie a concerned look. "Are you feeling all right, dear? You've been spacing out all day."

"You noticed, huh?"

Miss Cheerilee nodded. "Indeed, I did. Are you sure you're ready to come back to school? You could take a few weeks off, I wouldn't mind. You would be excused from any work assigned."

Sweetie shook her head. "No, I'm okay."

"You're sure?"

The filly's expression hardened. "Yes."

"All right. Why don't you grab your lunch and go join your friends?"

"Okay." As instructed, she grabbed her lunch from her cubby at the back of the room and went outside to join the rest of the kids for lunch. The only problem was that she didn't feel like being around anypony at the moment. She found an empty table near an old oak tree. She seated herself at the table, watching the other fillies and colts playing and laughing while she ate her lunch. She spotted Scootaloo and Apple Bloom talking to each other while they also ate their lunch. They spotted her and waved her over, but she merely shook her head. Why did she all of a sudden not feel like being around her friends, or anypony for that matter?

Eh, it didn't particularly matter now. Besides, how could she concentrate on that when the sandwich she was currently eating was so good? She wasn't exactly sure how, but her sense of taste had greatly increased over the past couple of days.

Seeing as how Sweetie Belle wasn't going to come over to them, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo decided to go over to her.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom greeted. "How ya doin'?"

"Fine." Sweetie took another bite of her sandwich. "Just fine."

"How is Rarity doing?" Scootaloo inquired.

"The last thing I want to talk about is my older sister."

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom fixed each other with worried glances.

"Are ya sure about that?" Apple Bloom asked.

Sweetie nodded. "Positive."

Twilight was busy sweeping the floor of the library while Spike was out doing some grocery shopping. Having completely swept the first floor, she proceeded onto the second, where her bedroom was. She started under the bed. When she pulled the broom back, something blue slid out from underneath. "What the . . ." She pulled the blanket all of the way out, soon discovering it to be one of Spike's blankets. Curious, she bent down and looked underneath the bed, only to find even more of Spike's blankets underneath. That was odd. Why would Spike put all of his blankets under her bed? It just didn't make any sense. That is, unless he was hiding something.

She knew better than to ask Spike what he was hiding. He wouldn't tell her anything. But hadn't they agreed to start talking more, especially about how they felt about certain situations? She had to at least try to get him to talk about what he was hiding. If he wouldn't budge, then she would need to investigate.

She rounded up all of the blankets and put them away in a pile, noticing that they gave off the foul stench of urine. She grabbed an aerosol can of air freshener and went about freshening up the room, eventually getting rid of the horrid smell. Once she had all of this done, she patiently waited for Spike to get home so that she could question him. Naturally, she passed the time by doing some light reading.

Spike kicked the front door open and walked in, his vision blocked by a group of grocery bags he carried. "Twilight!" He closed the door with his foot. "I'm back!" He set the bags on the table in the center of the room and, after hearing no response, looked around. "Twilight?"

"Up here, Spike," a voice called.

The dragon followed the voice up to the second floor. He saw her lying on her bed with a book in front of her. She closed the book and set it aside. He swallowed and walked up to her.

"Sit down, Spike."

He did so, giving him a confused look. "What is it, Twilight?"

"Spike, I know that you've been hiding something from me."

He swallowed. She couldn't possibly know about his wetting the bed, could she? That is, unless she'd cleaned the library while he'd been gone, in which case she could. "What do you mean?"

"I found some blankets under my bed that smelled like . . . well, rather unpleasant. Have you been . . . wetting the bed?"

His cheeks burned as a wave of embarrassment hit him. For a brief moment, he struggled with himself. He could tell her the truth, or he could make up an excuse. Lying to her would have been bad, seeing as how they had agreed to be honest with each other. He refused to look up at her as he muttered, "Yes. Twilight, I swear it's never happened before! I'm so sorry!"

She gently shushed him. "Spike, I understand. Don't worry, I believe you." She picked him up and set him in her lap. "I'm not mad and I'm not going to punish you." She smiled. "But, we do need to do something. I'm running out of sheets!" Chuckling, she leaned down and nuzzled him. "I think, Spike, that the best solution would be for you to wear diapers to protect the bed until you get over this."

He shot straight up. "Diapers?!"

She hushed him and had him lay back down in her hooves. "I know you don't like the idea, but you do understand that we have to do something, don't you? I think that's the best way to protect the bed. It's okay, Spike. You'll only wear them until you get over this problem. It's not a bad thing, Spike. Besides, you're still a baby, so I think it's only fitting."

He didn't hear her explanations, though. His reaction to her proposition wasn't exactly the way she had interpreted it. He was just surprised, not upset. In fact, the idea seemed somewhat appealing to him. He didn't understand why, so he quickly rationalized it as the only way to protect the bed and the sheets. He noticed that she was looking hopefully at him and he decided to agree, even though he tried to make it sound like he didn't want to do it. "Okay, Twilight. I'll do it."

"I'm glad you agree, Spike. If you want, I could even change you."

"Okay," he said in a tiny voice.

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? You wouldn't mind? I was only kidding. You don't have to if you don't want to, Spike."

"N-no, Actually, the more I think about it, the more I'd really, really like to try it. It sounds different and fun. It's exciting doing new things."

She kissed his forehead, looking ecstatic at how well he was taking the current situation. "Excellent! We'll get the supplies tomorrow while we're out. For now, you'll have to sleep like you normally do. That being said, what say we get you ready for bed?"

Spike nervously looked over his shoulder at Twilight, who stood behind him. "Remind me again why I'm doing this."

"Because this is the only solution that I could think of that would work," Twilight said, grinning at him.

He turned, facing her now. "But what if somepony sees me?"

"We'll just tell them that we're getting some supplies for the Cakes."

"But isn't that lying?"

She gave him a stern look. "Would you rather lie or tell somepony the real reason why you're here?"

He swallowed hard and turned back to the shelves of diapers in front of him. "But what brand and what size should we get?"

"Hmm . . ." Twilight tapped her chin. "How much do you weigh?"

Spike nodded his head, understanding now. "Oh, I get it now! I weigh ten pounds, so we should probably get a size two, I think."

Twilight looked over Spike's shoulder. "I think you're right, Spike." Using her magic, she levitated a package of Equestria's Best diapers into her saddlebag and walked with him over to the counter, levitating a couple of bits from the other pocket of her saddlebag and resting them on the counter. The cashier took the money and gave her a nod.

Spike took the package of diapers out of Twilight's saddlebag and examined them, turning them over in his paws. For a brief moment, he looked up to see Sweetie Belle and Rarity approaching them. He gasped and quickly hid the package of diapers behind his back, his face turning red as Sweetie Belle approached him while Twilight and Rarity struck up a conversation.

"Hey, Spike," she greeted warmly. "What brings you to the baby store today?" She attempted to look at what he was holding behind his back. "What's that you got behind your back?"

He gulped, but realized that he couldn't hide it any longer. He showed her the package of diapers, to which she gave him a quizzical look. "We're running some errands for the Cakes," he said quickly, his cheeks growing hot. "What about you?"

"Oh, just browsing, that's all." She gave him a concerned look. "Nice to see that you're feeling better." She pouted. "I'm really sorry about getting you sick. I didn't nean to."

He chuckled and lightly scratched her behind the ears. "Ah, don't worry about it. I actually kind of enjoyed it."

"I did too . . . to an extent."

"Come along, Sweetie Belle," Rarity chirped. "We still have lots of shopping to do."

"I'll see you around, okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, see you around." He followed Twilight back to the library.

It wasn't until nightfall that Twilight went about setting her plan in motion. She instructed him to lie down on the mat that she'd placed on her bed. Though reluctantly, he did as he was instructed, lying perfectly still while she opened the pack of diapers and took out one that was actually rather thick. It wasn't until she started unfolding the diaper–with her magic, of course–that he realized that she was going to diaper him. He pushed her away, letting out a frightened yelp.

"Hold on, Twilight," he cried. "I didn't know you were going to put it on me. I thought I was going to put it on!"

Twilight grinned at him. "Spike, I don't imagine you've done much babysitting, right?"

"Well, I haven't done any."

"I thought as much. I also bet you don't even know how to put a diaper on. Am I right?"

"I . . . I didn't really . . . think about that."

She nodded and smiled. "That's okay, Spike, but you're going to have to let me put this on you. You can't do it and if you try, it could leak and that would defeat the whole purpose, right?"

"I . . . guess it would."  
"Right. Now, just sit back and this will be over in a minute. There's no need to be embarrassed. It's very mature of you to be so willing to try to find a solution to your problem."

Sighing, he lied back down and allowed her to diaper him. He was about as embarrassed as he figured he could be, but a part of him didn't mind it. He watched as she levitated a bottle of baby powder and sprinkled a fair amount of it on his crotch. Then she rolled him over onto his side and sprinkled some on his tush as well before rolling him back over onto his back and proceeding to put the diaper on him. He noticed that he found the scent of the baby powder somewhat comforting, for whatever reason. His face burned, his heart pounded in his chest, and his stomach hurt while the minutes passed by as she diapered him. She threaded his tail through the hole in the diaper once she'd placed it underneath his bottom, then proceeded to tape it up.

Once he was completely diapered, she picked him up with her hooves and set him on his feet, eyeing him up and down. She couldn't help but grin at how foalish he looked. She leaned forward and pecked him on the head. "There. You're all ready for bed."

He sighed, giving her an annoyed look. "Great." A part of him still felt uneasy about the whole situation, but he decided not to argue with her and go along with it, if only to protect his bed. He hopped down from the bed and walked over to his basket, taking note that the diaper was so thick that it spread his legs, causing a waddle when he moved. He cringed visibly, also taking note of the fact that the diaper rustled with every move, every step he made. He climbed into bed, pulling the blankets up to his neck. He smiled when Twilight kissed him on the cheek and wished him a good night's sleep, and he did the same for her. He watched her climb into her own bed and turn off the light.

When he woke up early in the morning, Spike realized that he'd been sleeping with his thumb in his mouth. Slowly, he removed it from his mouth and stared at it for some time. He shrugged and jammed his thumb back in his mouth. The sounds of his sucking could clearly be heard within the room.

Wondering how he looked in his diaper, he slipped out of bed and went to the mirror. He looked at himself in the mirror. His diaper was sagging slightly, leaving a small part of his stomach to be exposed. The pale yellow color of the diaper indicated that he had used it for its intended purpose. He chuckled.

He smiled at his reflection in the mirror. He wasn't embarrassed at all. He put his thumb back in his mouth and started sucking on it. He watched himself in the mirror while he did this activity, closing his eyes while he sucked on his thumb.

He suddenly realized that he had to go to the bathroom again. Seeing as he was already wearing a diaper and since it was already wet, he figured that he might as well wet it some more. He fought with himself for a minute. His rational side said, "What are you thinking? Are you going to wet that diaper voluntarily?! Why?" But his other side just said "Oh, it's okay. It's already wet. A little more won't hurt it." Eventually, he gave in.

The feeling was actually really kind of nice. His urine hit the diaper and spread around it, making him feel very warm. He closed his eyes and sucked on his thumb while he wet his diaper. When he was finished, he looked in the mirror again and noticed that his diaper had started to sag slightly more.

He was suddenly caught by a weird urge. He decided it might be fun to get down on all fours and try crawling. So, he dropped to the floor and began to crawl around the room for a minute. It was fun. His diaper was hanging down and he couldn't stop from smiling. He went back to the mirror and stared at himself.

He loved the way he looked in the mirror. He wondered what he looked like from behind, so he got down on all fours again. His scaly tail stuck out of the hole in his diaper and he couldn't help but chuckle at how he looked.

"Spike, what are you doing?"

And his body froze.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Tentatively, he lifted his head to meet Twilight's gaze. She was staring at him. Based on the expression on her face, she was obviously surprised to see him in such a position. Up until this point, he hadn't moved since she had spotted him. His mouth was slightly open and his eyes were about as wide as they could get. It was shocking to him to see her actually see him like this and be there when he was diapered, and wet for that matter. It took him a few moments to realize that she had asked him a question and that he was expected to respond. At first when he attempted to respond to her question, he found himself stammering like a madmare. "Uh . . . uh . . . n . . . n . . ." When he finally found his voice, he managed to say, "Nothing."

She quickly recovered. She got out of bed and approached him. "I see you're up, Spike. I didn't expect you to be awake. I see that the bed is dry. What about you?"

He shook his head. "No."

She lightly petted his head. "That's okay, Spike. I didn't really expect you to be dry, but at least the bed is okay." She paused and smiled at him. "What say we get you out of that wet diaper before you get a rash?"

He nodded his head. "Okay."

Rarity inhaled deeply, standing outside Sweetie's bedroom door. "All right, Rarity," she said to herself. "You can do this." She lifted a hoof and gently rapped on the door. "Sweetie, darling, are you up?"

No response.

"May I come in?"

No response.

With her magic, Rarity turned the door knob and entered the bedroom, carrying a document with her that was captured in her magic. Sweetie was at the mirror, styling her mane just the way she liked it. Her tail had already been curled in its signature style. Rarity waited until Sweetie pulled out the final curler before she presented her little sister with the document. "Just read it,"

Sweetie did so without question. As she did so, her expression quickly changed from one of curiosity to one of worry and fear. Once she was done reading the letter, she turned to her older sister.

"They're going to sell off our stuff at an auction, and whatever's left over is either taken over by the insurance companies or done away with," Rarity explaind. "That's exactly why I've scheduled a trip to Fillydelphia for the two of us, We're going to go to Mother and Father's and take the things that we want. You know, books, blankets, toys, what have you. Whatever you don't want is either taken by the insurance companies or sold at auction."

Sweetie said nothing.

Rarity added, "I don't like it any more than you do, but it's something we must do. You don't want all of your things thrown away or sold at auction, do you?"

Sweetie looked down and sniffled.

Rarity grinned. "Now, come along. The train will be leaving any moment."

Even if she pretended to be a brave pony, if only for Sweetie's sake, Rarity could still feel a few stray tears flooding her eyes and trailing down her cheeks. Oh, this home. How it held so many memories for her. So many holidays she and her parents had celebrated here throughout her childhood. It had been just as much Sweetie's childhood home as it had been hers. The two of them had grown up in this home, surrounded by loving parents who would do anything for them, who loved them more than anything in the world. Their parents had provided well for them, making sure that they never went without. Rarity couldn't recollect the number of times her parents had gone without just so she and Sweetie had something to eat. It was because of their warm, loving, and easy-going nature that made Rarity and Sweetie so assured that they could talk to their parents about anything.

But those days were gone, and all they were left with were the memories. Hopefully, their memories wouldn't fade away like their parents' lives had.

Rarity looked down at her younger sibling, who was fighting back tears as much as she was. She opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a strangled gurgle from her getting choked up and her saliva getting caught in her throat. She cleared her throat. The next time she attempted to speak, she was able to do so, but her words came out in a shaky breath, her emotions getting the better of her: "Well, then. Are . . . are you ready?"

Sweetie nodded.

"Let's go, then." She walked up the porch steps, stopping to make sure that the front door was locked. Indeed, it was, prompting Rarity to lift up the welcome mat to retrieve the spare key their parents had left for Sweetie Belle whenever she needed to get inside when they weren't home. After unlocking the front door and stepping inside, it took her a while to get used to the darkness that inhabited the house.

It was actually quite amazing what a week's negligence of dusting and cleaning could do to a home. The floors, furniture, cupboards, and shelves were covered in layers upon layers of dust. The only light within the home was the sunlight that was pouring in through the windows. Rarity attempted to turn on the lights, but found that the electricity had been cut off due to the now deceased owners having not paid their electric bill on time. They would need to resort to their horns..

She led Sweetie throughout the house, lighting the way for them with her horn. When they reached their respective bedrooms, which had been across from one another, she gave Sweetie a flashlight. The little filly held the flashlight in her mouth, her magic skills still being rather primitive. Meanwhile, Rarity's horn lit up, illuminating the entire area.

"All right," Rarity said, "you go in your room and take whatever you want. I'll be in my room if you need me."

Sweetie nodded. She watched Rarity enter her bedroom before turning and entering her own. She swept the flashlight back and forth, observing the floor. There was nothing of interest to be found. She had idolized her older sister to the point where she had kept her room nice and tidy. Everything was in its proper place, just as she'd left it the day she had traveled with her parents to Ponyville before they had left for vacation. Since everything was orderly, this made it relatively easy for Sweetie to find what she needed and stow it away in her duffel bag. The only problem was that everything in the room held such value to her that it was nearly impossible to choose what to keep and what to give away to auction. Cards from birthdays and various holidays, old stuffed animals, toys, outfits her sister had made her, books, photographs, photo albums, and several other items littered the floor of Sweetie's room by the time she was done looking through everything. This only made her predicament all the more complicated and confusing. What to keep, and what to give away? She hoped that Rarity was having as hard a time at this as she was.

She still hadn't come to a decision by the time Rarity walked in her room, levitating a couple of suitcases behind her. The suitcases fell to the floor when Rarity observed Sweetie's now messy room. The older of the two glanced at the younger tearfully. "It's hard, isn't it?"

Sweetie nodded.

"I know it's hard, but you have to make a tough decision. The auction is approaching, so there would be no way for us to hire somepony to move everything to my place."

Sweetie sighed and continued to glance back and forth between the items before her. She held up several dresses that were clearly too small for her,

"Those are too small for you now," Rarity said. "I suppose they could go to little fillies in need." She set the dresses in a pile. "Good. Everything you don't want to keep will go in this pile right here. Everything else, you can take with you."

Sweetie rubbed her chin in thought.

"Don't rush, Sweetie Belle. You have plenty of time. There's no urgency in making a decison."

Sweetie sighed in relief.

Rarity grinned.

Sweetie observed a few old toys that she had played with when she was younger. She guessed she wouldn't be needing them anymore, seeing as how she hadn't played with them in years. There was really no need in keeping them. And yet, she feel this sudden compulsion to play with them again. She guessed she could give them away.

As Sweetie went to put them in the pile, Rarity stopped her. "Don't be silly, Sweetie Belle." She opened up one of her suitcases with her magic and pulled out a small yellow blanket and a small stuffed teddy bear. "These were mine when I was your age. Who knows? I may need them later on."

Sweetie's eyes fell down on the toys before her. Reluctantly, she began pushing a toy carriage around on the floor, spinning it around in a circle until she was too dizzy to continue. She eventually stopped to get her head cleared, and she watched as Rarity stooped down and began playing with a series of dolls that the filly had played with when she was younger. Sweetie watched with great interest until she eventually joined in. Very soon, the two of them were involved in an imaginary battle between a couple of colts who were fighting over who would have the privilege of taking Sweetie Belle's hoof in marriage.

They spent over an hour playing together, recapturing their youthful days of playing together when Rarity was still a young mare and Sweetie Belle was still in diapers. The climatic battle between the two colts eventually ended in a twist ending where it was revealed that Sweetie Belle was an open lesbian and had fallen in love with her best friend, Apple Bloom. The two of them collapsed on the floor, laughing at the absurdity of the whole thing, and Rarity was thankful that, despite their parents' passing, Sweetie hadn't lost her sense of humor.

"You see, Sweetie Belle?" Rarity asked after catching her breath. "Just because you get oler doesn't mean you can't still have fun with your toys, and it doesn't lessen the value they have to you." She brought the yellow blanket over to her and began rubbing it against her cheek. "Mm! I'd forgotten just how incredibly _soft _this blanket was."

Sweetie nodded. She began packing the toys in her suitcase. Maybe when she had a little filly of her own, she could pass her toys down to her daughter, or maybe one of her friends or Spike would like them."

"That's the spirit. Anything else you'd like to take with you?"

Sweetie dug around in her closet once more, no longer having any need for the flashlight seeing as how Rarity's horn was still lighting up the room. She gently placed several photographs and photo albums in her suitcase, along with some blankets and stuffed animals. Using her teeth, she zipped up her duffel bag and took the handle in her mouth.

"Are you sure that's everythig?"

Sweetie nodded.

"Still, we should explore the rest of the house, see what else we can find."

Walking down the halls, they spotted several pictures of them with their mother and father. Sweetie noticed something at the end of the hallway that she hadn't noticed in a long time. It was a painting her father had done of her when she'd been four. In it, she was smiling and clutched in her hooves was her little stuffed bunny, Mr. Bun Bun. It was so realistic looking. Even though he'd gone into business, her father had always wanted to be an artist. He hadn't painted very often after she'd been born. It was the only one she remembered him finishing. She had walked by it everyday and she'd just gotten so used to it being there. She hadn't paid any attention to it for who knew how long, but now she noticed it and she saw what she had meant to her mother and father and how much they had loved her.

Rarity nodded. "I understand, Sweetie. We'll get that, too."

Seeing the painting made Sweetie remember her stuffed bunny. Her parents had given it to her when she'd been very young. She'd had it as long as she could remember. She carried it around everywhere she went until she was six. Then she stopped because other kids made fun of her. She had to find it. She went to Rarity's room and into the closet. She dug around in the back for a while until she found an old cardboard box. She set down the photograph and opened it. Inside was exactly what she'd been hoping for; A collection of stuff that she had used when she was younger. She found her old baby blanket and a bib. The box was stuffed with memories. She kept digging through it until she found her stuffed bunny.

She picked it up and looked at its worn fur, its button eyes, its resewn seams, its forlorn look. Everything about it came rushing back to her. All the years she'd spent with it clutched in her hooves, dragging it along with her everywhere. All the nights she'd drifted off to sleep with it resting on her pillow. All the times she'd cried into its fur.

Entering the living room, Sweetie saw a picture laying on the table at one end of the living room couch of her parents, Rarity, and her. She couldn't have been no more than two in that picture. She wore nothing but a plain white diaper. They were holding her and Rarity together. She picked up the picture and stared at it. They had been so happy back then. She clutched the picture to her chest and sobbed. Rarity put her hooves around her grieving sister, though she knew it wouldn't do any good to try to comfort Sweetie, so she stayed silent.

"Okay. We'll take those." Rarity proceedd to go throughout the room and down the hall, collecting every picture she could find and storing them in her duffel bag. When she turned back around, she saw Sweetie sobbing, clutching the picture close to her chest. Walking over to her little sister, she placed a comforting hoof on her head. She took a breath. "I know this is hard for you, but we have to do this. Be strong."

Sweetie nodded to Rarity to show that she was doing okay. Still holding the picture, she wiped her eyes and started looking around again. There was a small clock on the mantle she had gotten for her mother last Mother's Day. She remembered how much her mother had loved it. She was always cleaning and dusting it to make sure it was shiny. She had liked that clock so much.

"You want to keep the clock, the one on the mantle?" Rarity asked. "Okay, Sweetie Belle."

Sweetie nodded. She suddenly remembered something that she wanted. She walked to the kitchen and started rummaging through the closets. She had no idea where it was, but she knew her parents hadn't thrown it away. It had to be here somewhere. Then she found it: a small, old, ragged apron. She used to wear it when she was little and she "helped" her mother fix meals. She didn't know why she remembered it or why she wanted it. She hadn't worn it since the last time she saw her mother and father, before they had taken her back to Rarity's just before leaving for their vacation. She had to have it now. She wiped her eyes again.

"Okay," Rarity said. "We'll take that."

Sweetie didn't know whether she had found everything she wanted from her house or if she didn't want to look anymore, but either way she started heading for the front door. She was expecting Rarity to ask her if she was sure that was all she wanted, but she didn't. Sweetie guessed she understood.

They walked together back outside. Rarity kept her hoof around Sweetie's back the whole time until they went back to the train station. Around her back, Sweetie carried the suitcase that contained the apron, the photograph of her family, and her stuffed rabbit.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

_Leaves swept underneath Sweetie's hooves as she ran through the woods. The wind stung her eyes, making it hard to see, but the wind felt refreshing as it blew against her face, cooling her off from the heat that surrounded her. _

_Upon reaching a clearing, she skidded to a halt and looked around. She couldn't see much of anything except a white fog that made her feel woozy. "Hmmn . . . clouds . . ."_

_Suddenly, she felt her fur being tossed gently by a breeze of air. It was smooth and light rather that rough and violent like the wind of a tornado. The air seemed to be stirring the fog away from her. Little by little, the fog dissipated into nothingness until she could see where she was. _

_She was in the park. "Why am I here?" she wondered aloud. "Uh, is anypony here? Somepony? Anypony? Hello? Yoo-hoo! Is somepony there? It's me, Sweetie Belle!" Her voice seemed to echo into the distance, but nopony answered in return. Nopony was there. She was about to ask again until the wind picked up once more. It was stronger this time, but it still lightly ran through her fur with a smooth touch. _

_She began walking forward untiil she stepped in something wet. Looking down, she noticed that she'd stepped in a red liquid. She quickly backed up, only to end up tripping over something. For a couple of seconds, she didn't move, simply stared up at the canopy of trees and the cloudless, dark sky around her. When she lifted her head to see what she had tripped over, it was all she could do to not let out a horrified, high-pitched scream. _

_In front of her lied her dead parents, and the red liquid she had stepped in was their blood. Their bodies were covered in it. She covered her mouth, both to hold back the scream that so desperately wanted to be let out and to hold in the bile that had creeped up her throat. Against her wishes, she swallowed the vomit, leaving a horrid taste in her mouth. Tears welled in her eyes as she continued to watch the mutilated, blood-covered bodies. Silently, she hoped and prayed that they would show some sign of life, but they never did. They simply lied there, not moving. Not breathing. Not doing anything at all. It was enough to make her stomach churn in disgust. _

"_No," she mumbled. "No! Please, Celestia, no! Who would do this? What kind of monster would . . . would . . . would . . .?" _

"_I think you mean, 'what kind of pony,'" a voice stated. _

"_Huh?" She looked up. Her head darted to and fro, trying to discover the source of the voice that had made its presence known. "Who's there?" She slowly got to all fours, remaining cautious just in case the source of the voice proved to be malicious. She tried to hide her fear, hoping to prove to be a brave pony, but her voice gave her away. "S-show yourself!" _

_The sound of rustling bushes caught her attention and her head snapped around to the source of the sound. She breathed a sigh of relief when Twilight emerged from the bushes, but her relief quickly evaporated when she noticed that Twilight didn't look too pleased to see her. "Twilight? Is something wrong?" _

_The unicorn didn't answer her. Instead, she turned her attention to the two corpses that still lied in the middle of the clearing. She finally turned her head towards Sweetie Belle and pointed at the two bodies. "Sweetie Belle, what have you done?" _

"_What are you . . ." Sweetie stammered. "I didn't . . . I didn't do this." _

_Twilight took a step towards the shaking filly. "What will your sister think?" She sighed and shook her head. "Your parents are dead, Sweetie Belle, and if it weren't for you, they'd still be alive." She chuckled. "I'd sure hate to be in your horseshoes right now." _

"_What do you–" The filly was cut off in mid-sentence. Her ears perked up, hearing a chorus of voices that seemed to be drawing closer and closer with the more she listened. They seemed to be chanting something, but they were so far away that she couldn't actually determine what they were saying. However, once they started to draw nearer to her, the chants of the voices became that much clearer. But when she heard what they were chanting, she instantly wished that she had suddenly gone deaf. _

"_Why did you do this, Sweetie Belle? This is all your fault. You did this." _

_Sweetie's head spun around in rapid succession, watching as different ponies, from her friends and Twilight's friends and various residents of Ponyville and all of Equestria began arriving in the clearing, still chanting those same words: "Your fault . . . your fault . . . you did this . . ." Her breathing became heavy and her heart pounded in her chest. She cowered on the grass, covering her ears with her hooves, attempting to drown out the chanting. When this proved to be futile, she went about stuffing some grass in her ears, but it was no use; the chanting prevailed. _

"_Your fault . . . your fault . . . you did this . . ." _

_She was shaking now while she continued to cower on the ground, letting out a soft whimper every now and then as the voices continued to assault her. Slowly, the voices faded away until there was nothing but silence that surrounded her. She was a little perplexed by how much she hadn't appreciated silence until that point. _

_Once the silence had faded, she opened her eyes and looked around. There was nopony around her, all except for one. Rarity stood before her, the mare's back to her. She hopped up to her hooves. 'Rarity!" She raced over to her older sister and began nuzzling her in the thigh. "I'm so glad to see you! What a relief!" _

_Sadly, Rarity didn't seem to hold the same opinion. The mare turned around and struck Sweetie in the face, knocking her flat on her back. The filly stared up at her older sister, frightened and looking confused. She shook while her sister approached her menacingly, glaring down at her. "Get away from me, you little cunt!" _

"_What?" Sweetie asked, bewildered. _

"_You heard me," Rarity said, snarling. "You killed my mother and father." She turned around and sat on her haunches, her nose stuck up in the air. "I want nothing to do with you." _

"_But they were my mom and dad, too!" _

"_Hmph! Not likely. They wouldn't want a murderer for a daughter, now, would they?" _

"_Huh?" _

"_What are you, deaf? You're a murderer. You could have saved them," her gaze fell to the dead bodies still lying in the center of the clearing, "and yet you did nothing. Instead of going with them to let them know about your vision, you chose to stay with me instead. What are you, stupid?" _

"_I'm not stupid," Sweetie countered, tears filing her eyes. _

"_I don't know. Anypony who decides to let their parents die instead of attempting to save them seems pretty stupid to me." _

_Sweetie allowed the tears to flow now. "I'm not stupid. Stop calling me that." _

_Rarity faced her sister again. "Well, quit acting stupid! Use your head! Think!" _

_Sweetie cowered on the ground. "I'm not stupid. . . ." _

_Rarity snorted. "Oh, please. Most of your ideas for you and your stupid little friends to get your cutie marks are pretty idiotic." _

_Sweetie said nothing, only began to rock back and forth while she lied on the ground. _

"_You know, maybe if you actually thought carefully about some of the asinine decisions you make before you make them, you wouldn't be thought of as such a dumbass retard, would you?" _

_Sweetie whimpered. _

"_You deserve what you've gotten." She turned and walked away, leaving Sweetie Belle, a cowering, frightened little filly lying on the ground alone with her dead parents. _

Sweetie Belle awoke, shooting up in bed and panting. Her eyes darted back and forth across the room, only to find that she was completely isolated in her room. The moonlight poured into the room through the open window. The curtains blew inward by way of the light breeze that kept her room cool at night. It tended to get rather hot at night. How Rarity slept in such harsh conditions, Sweetie didn't know.

_Rarity . . ._

The name brought her back to her nightmare. Oh, how horrid it had been! At the very least, it had just been a dream. Still, this fact wouldn't drive away the mental images she had swimming through her mind's eye. She figured the best way to get over it would be to do something that made her feel better, but what? She couldn't go walking around, do any exercise, or anything that would disrupt Rarity or anypony else in Ponyville from their sleeping. The only conclusion she came to was to go downstairs to get something to eat. Maybe eating something would not only get her mind off her nightmare, but make her feel better at the same time.

As quietly as possible, she crept downstairs to the kitchen. She wasn't exactly sure what they had in stock. What was funny about her decision was the fact that she wasn't even hungry to begin with, so why in Equestria was she bothering getting something to eat when she wasn't hungry? It didn't really make a whole lot of sense to her. She concluded that it was just something easy to do that wouldn't make a lot of noise and it would give her something to do while she attempted to get over her nightmare.

Opening the fridge once she'd reached the kitchen, she discovered quite a large quantity of food that, despite her absence of hunger, made her drool at the very sight of it. Everything looked good, from the hay fries to the fruit. She wasn't sure what came over her, but all of a sudden she wanted to try everything. She grabbed the carton of hay fries, a few bananas, a couple of strawberries, and some whipped cream–for the strawberries. She set each group of items on the table, one at a time, before sitting down and beginning to eat.

It was when she was devouring the strawberries and whipped cream that Rarity walked in the room. The filly, who was busy licking the bowl of whipped cream clean, turned her head and gave a sheepish grin.

Rarity did nothing but gave Sweetie a confused look. She cocked her head to the side and asked, "Sweetie, what are you doing?" She eyed the buffet that Sweetie had formed on the table. "Just . . . don't make a mess, okay? What you don't eat, you can put back. Don't stay up too late."

Sweetie nodded to show that she understood.

Rarity nodded and walked out of the room, leaving the light on as she left.

Sweetie sighed in relief, grateful that she hadn't been scolded for getting something to eat. She supposed that Rarity was just too tired to do any scolding tonight and simply wanted to get back to bed as soon as possible. She had probably just been up to use the bathroom when she'd noticed the kitchen light was on. Regardless, Sweetie went back to her small buffet.

Despite Rarity's protests, Sweetie went to school the following day. She didn't see what the big deal was. She was doing fine with her studies, even if she was having a bit of a hard time concentrating on her schoolwork. She met up with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom at their usual meeting place–city hall, in the center of Ponyville–and the three made their way to the schoolhouse. On their way, Scootaloo and Apple Bloo striked up a conversation about how they could earn their cutie marks after school.

"What do you think, Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo asked.

"Huh?" Sweetie Belle asked, looking up just in time to smack right into Scootaloo's backside, the two fillies in front of her having come to a complete stop. She backed up and rubbed her head.

Apple Bloom gave her a concerned look. "Ya okay? Ya weren't payin' attention to our conversation at all, were ya?"

Sweetie shook her head. "Not really. I was kind of thinking about something else. What were you guys talking about?"

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "What do you think we could do to earn our cutie marks?"

"How about cooking? Or taste testing? We could go to Sugarcube Corner after school and help Pinkie Pie out by tasting her cooking to tell if they're any good or not. Or-or we could be sumo wrestlers, but we'd have to put on a lot of weight in order for that to work. Not that I mind, though." This thought even made Sweetie blink in confusion. Where had that come from? She had never suggested anything relating to food that they could do to earn their cutie marks. She must have been hungry. After all, she had been in something of a rush this mroning to get to school. Thus, she hadn't bothered to eat breakfast, even though Rarity had urged her to eat at least _something _before she left, even if it was just a banana.

"That sounds like fun," Apple Bloom agreed, beaming.

Scootaloo shook her head. "Count me out. I've got to stay in shape. I'm an athlete, you know."

"You could always work it off," Sweetie Belle suggested.

"But that would take months," Scootaloo argued, "and I don't have that long to work off two hundred pounds of fat."

"We could always try skydiving," Apple Bloom said as they resumed walking.

Scootaloo scoffed. "What are we gonna do? Climb a mountain and jump off with parachutes on?"

"How 'bout instead-a shootin' our plans down, ya come up with some o' yer own there, Scoots?" Apple Bloom sneered.

"Fine! Hmm, let's see . . ." The orange pegasus looked out into space while she thought of a plausible idea for how they could earn their cuite marks. She was still thinking by the time they reached the schoolhouse.

Sweetie Belle was approached by Miss Cheerilee, who once again tried to convince her that it would be a good idea to take a few weeks off from school. The filly refused, stating that staying on top of her studies was more important to her than lazing around her house. She then proceeded to take her seat and get started on the math problems that were assigned for them on the board, as an early brain teaser to get their minds jogging.

She groaned in frustration. Why was this so hard? She had never had any trouble with math problems before. Now, all of a sudden, she couldn't even figure out what seven times seven was. She racked her brain to figure it out, but the answer just wouldn't come to her. She chewed on her eraser and let out a soft moan. Erasers tasted rather good, she realized. Ugh! What in Equestira was wrong with her?! Why was she concentrating on how good the eraser tasted when she should have been concentrating on the math problems that she was supposed to be completing?! She felt so stupid.

_Stupid . . ._

She cringed when the word entered her mind, yet again reminding her of the nightmare from the night before. Great. As if she couldn't already concentrat on her work, she most certainly couldn't now, not with her nightmare weighing down on her mind. She chewed more feverishly on her eraser, once again noting how yummy it tasted. She let out another moan before shoving the entire eraser n her mouth and beginning to chew like a starving dog, allowing her tongue to get a healthy dose of the eraser. The actual wooden shaft of the pencil ground against her teeth, but she couldn't care less about getting wood in between her teeth, not with how delicious the eraser tasted. Or, maybe she was just so hungry, from not eating breakfast, that the eraser tasted good to her.

"What are you doing?"

She hadn't realized that, in her realization that her eraser tasted quite good, she had closed her eyes. She opened them and turned her head to see both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon giving her queer looks. She gave them a bashful look, her cheeks turning red and burning hot from embarrassment, and finally put down her pencil. She turned her attention back to the board as Miss Cheerilee began the day.

"Good morning, class," Miss Cheerilee stated warmly. "Today, we'll be . . ."

Sweetie didn't understand what was happening to her. For some reason, she had no interest in the lesson that Miss Cheerilee was giving. If anything, she found her pencil far more fascinating than Miss Cheerilee's lesson, and she soon found herself chewing on her eraser yet again. She ignored the odd glances and concerned looks her friends gave her. She was kind of grateful that Miss Cheerilee didn't get onto her for not paying attention to her lesson. She supposed that Miss Cheerilee thought that maybe she was still having a hard time adjusting to her parents' passing, which was fine. It wasn't as if she was going to milk the opportunity to slack off in class and not do her work.

The filly was beyond grateful when lunchtime came around. Along with the others, she grabbed her lunch and raced outside. She was already beginning to dig in by the time Scootaloo and Apple Bloom showed up. The two fillies stopped, taking notice of how greedily she was tearing into her sandwich, and sat down across from the ravenous filly.

"Oh, for the love of Celestia," Diamond Tiara said, passing the three with Silver Spoon, glaring down at the gorging unicorn. "Didn't your mother ever teach you table manners?"

Sweetie turned to the pink earth pony, her cheeks crammed to bursting with bread, hay, tomato, lettuce, and all of the other ingredients that Rarity had packed into her sandwich.

"Look at you," Silver Spoon said, jabbing a hoof in Sweetie's chest. "You look like a pig."

Apple Bloom let out a soft gasp of horror while Scootaloo did nothing but glare at her.

"Act like a civilized pony," Diamond Tiara suggested. "What would your sister say if she saw you right now? If I were her, I'd be embarrassed to be seen with you."

Sweetie finally swallowed and looked down.

"Awwww . . ." Diamond Tiara said in mock sadness. "Did I hurt the little pony's feelings? Boo-hoo-hoo. Why don't you go home and cry to your mommy?" She put a hoof to her mouth, her eyes going wide as she faked coming to a sudden realization. "Oh, wait! That's right; you don't have one." She laughed before high-hoofing Silver Spoon.

"Look at it this way," Silver Spoon spoke up. "At least now all of you blank flanks have something else in common: neither one of you have a mom orr dad." She laughed. Along with Diamond Tiara, she did their signature move. "Bump, bump, sugar lump, rump!" She laughed along with her friend as they walked away.

"That was not right," Apple Bloom said, sneering at the backsides of the two. "They did not have to go there."

"No, they didn't," Scootaloo agreed. "Normally I wouldn't recommend tattling, but in this case, I'll make an exception." She threw down her sandwich and marched inside the schoolhouse to have a word with Miss Cheerilee.

Sweetie returned to her lunch, taking small bites of her sandwich and chewing slowly, "acting like a civilized pony", as Diamond Tiara had suggested. She tried her best to avoid letting her emotions get the best of her, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fight it. Her throat felt tight, like she was trying to swallow a boulder, and her eyes filled with tears as if somepony had kicked her in her neither regions. She exhaled in short, shallow breaths, finding it hard to breath.

"Ya okay, Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom asked. She reached out a hoof and gently brushed it against Sweetie's. Just from Sweetie's expression alone, she could tell that her friend wasn't "okay." Without warning, she grabbed Sweetie and enveloped her in a tight hug, lightly petting her friend's mane, doing everything she could to make her friend feel better. She kissed Sweetie's forehead and pulled away, staring into Sweetie's eyes. "Don't let her get to you, Sweetie. She's just trying to get under your fur."

Sweetie said nothing, but the small smile that appeared across her face told Apple Bloom that she greatly appreciated the sentiment. She lightly nuzzled her face in Apple Bloom's chest while the two of them waited for Scootaloo to get back.

"What are you guys doing?" a voice asked.

Both parties turned to see Scootaloo giving them an odd look.

"You two look like you're about to start making out or something," Scootaloo added with a grin, chuckling.

The two fillies quickly pulled away from each other, beginning to giggle madly at the situation.

"Ah, there's a smile," Apple Bloom said to Sweetie, grinning. "Ya'll been in such a sour mood lately that ya were beginning to get me depressed."

Sweetie said nothing. She eyed the food still lying on the table and pointed to it. "Are you guys going to finish lunch, or can I have what's left?"

"What?" Apple Bloom looked down to see what was left of her lunch. "Oh, no. Go ahead, Sweetie."

"Yeah, I don't mind," Scootaloo agreed, nodding her head.

Sweetie pecked Apple Bloom on the check. "Thanks," she said, and proceeded to scarf down what was left of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo's lunches, along with her own, leaving Apple Bloom and Scootaloo to give each other concerned looks.

School resumed after lunch and recess as always, though Sweetie was still having trouble concentrating on her work. Anytime Miss Cheerilee would ask her a question, she would nearly have to scream Sweetie's name in order to get her attention, making the little filly feel extremely embarrassed, naturally. By the time school ended, Sweetie was grateful. As she was walking out of the schoolhouse, she could hear several of her classmates looking at her and giggling. She refused to acknowledge them. It was best if she just kept quiet and went on home.

It had taken all day, but Rarity was finally done with her latest order. She'd been so busy today that she hadn't had time to eat breakfast or check the mail. Once Sweetie was off to school, it was off to work for her. Now that she had time on her hooves, she figured she might as well go check the mail.

She discovered the usual bills, along with a couple of flyers for sweepstakes she could enter. She disposed of these in the trash and set the bills on the table. One envelope caught her eye, however. It was addressed to her and the return address noted that it was from social services. Already she could feel her stomach getting tied up in knots while she slowly opened the envelope and unfolded the letter held within. She began to read.

_Dear Miss Rarity, _

_It has come to our attention that Sweetie Belle, the youngest child of Cookie Crumbles and Hondo Flanks, has recently had her mother and father taken away. As you may or may not know, this requires that the child be placed in a safe, stable home as soon as possible. A court hearing for custody of the child will be held in the upcoming months. Prior to this hearing, you will be visited by one of our social workers to interview you and Sweetie Belle regarding the conditions of your home and to seee whtether or not you are a suitable parent for Sweetie Belle. If it is dtermined that you are not a suitable parent, Sweetie will have to be taken away and placed in a temporary home until the court date of the hearing. _

_Be advised that the social worker will be making frequent visits to your house to check up on you and Sweetie, to see hwo you two are doing. Note that these vists can be unannounced, so please be on your hooves, as you may not know when he or she may be dropping by. I hope the best for you and Sweetie Belle and wish you both good luck. _

The paper fell to the floor while Rarity sank along the wall until she was sitting on the floor, the paper in front of her. She held her head in her hooves, sadly shaking it back and forth while she attempted, but failed, to try to come up with a solution to her current problem. She should have foreseen this coming. It was common sense that, after their parents passed away, the authorities would get involved about what to do about Sweetie Belle. As far as she knew, her mother and father hadn't written a will. It was because of this sort of thing that she wished they had, in which they would have named her Sweetie's permanent guardian if something should happen to them. Why hadn't they been crazy prepared for the future like Twilight was instead of going on all of their various vacations? So stupid they had been!

She was ripped from her thoughts when she heard the front door close. She quickly looked down at the paper in front of her. Oh, no! She couldn't let Sweetie see this, not with what she'd been through already. She quickly shoved the paper in a nearby drawer just as Sweetie was walking in the kitchen. She smiled nervously and said, "Oh, good afternoon, Sweetie Belle. How was school?"

Sweetie walked over to the fridge and retrieved a carton of orange juice. She shut the door with a hoof. She took a sip of her ornage juice.

"My day was uneventful. I filled a few orders, that was about it. I figured you would be with your Crusader friends trying to get your cutie marks."

Sweetie shook her head. She opened the fridge again and began looking through it.

"Would you like for me to make you a snack?"

Sweetie shut the fridge door.

"You go get started on your homework and I'll be in shortly with your snack."

Sweetie happily trotted down the hallway.

Rarity's face fell.


End file.
